Today we’d like to introduce you to Debbie Gallerani.

Hi Debbie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Born in Palm Springs, California, 1959, I was surrounded by the most entrancing fusion of cultures. Mid-Century Modern was prevalent in homes and fashion, classic Spanish architecture adorned streets, Native American Indian, Old Western, Hispanic art delighted tourists and locals alike, and the delicious warm desert palette filled every sense. These were the elements that would subtly and sometimes boldly manifest in my work.

My first artistic ambition since I was a child, was to have a syndicated comic strip. Over the years as a professional cartoonist, my comics have been published in several local papers. From there, I mastered my illustration skills, and moved into the graphic design field. I was thrilled to land a job as a paste-up artist at the world-renowned Palm Springs Life magazine, where I was promoted to designer within a month. After working there for a year, I moved to “Multi Media Advertising”, and became the Senior Art Director. I spent over 35 years in the graphic design field, running my own company, “Studio West Graphics” in Orange County, California. Although successful, I decided to take a break from the graphic design field and try my hand in the fine arts. For the last 11 years I have been developing a new mindset and style, working in acrylics, mixed media, graphite, digital mixed media and paper mâché/stone sculptures. I now reside near the spectacular Saguaro National Park in Tucson Arizona, and besides my art, I run a successful Bed and Breakfast from my Hacienda, “La Casa Del Artista”. It’s been exciting to apply the rich desert pallet influences in my decor as well as my artwork. With a lot of hard work, my art business is starting to pay off as I have been busy with art orders for galleries, art collectors, and shows. My most recent show is in Borrego Springs, CA, at the “House of Borrego Springs East Gallery, from April through May. I am also showing my work at the Tohono Chul Botanical Gardens in Tucson, Cactus Wren Art 6allery in Tubac, The Arizona Wildlife Conservation Center in Phoenix, and The Borrego Art Institute.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect? Oh yes, there have been many struggles in my art career. Probably the most difficult one was in High School. Although I was the top art student for 3 years, many of my art peers received scholarships to art colleges, which sadly I did not. How does that even happen? For one thing, my parents were not supportive or concerned about helping me with my future in college, and I didn’t receive proper advice from my counselors. My art teacher told me over and over I was a shoo-in for Pasadena Art Center, which at the time was the top art school in Southern California. I was just a kid and thought he was taking care of the details. Nope. It was devastating when I ended up with nothing. That didn’t stop me though. I decided to go up to Pasadena and meet with the head of admissions myself. That was a big blow as well when the man in charge looked at my portfolio and laughed at my work. He said, “Well, you need at least two years of Junior college before you can get into this school.” Harsh. After that, I put art on the back burner, and presumed it wasn’t meant to be. But after about eight months, something in my soul was clear that my passion was in the arts. It didn’t take long, and I tried again to pursue art school. I took some courses at my local Junior College in Palm Desert, then applied to a trade school across the country. I was accepted at “The York Academy of Arts” in York, Pennsylvania, where I had some family. The first year there was amazing! The teachers were top notch and brilliant artists. What I learned was invaluable, and I even made honors. Then, as fate should have it, the school closed due to lack of funding. I was heartbroken and confused and moved back to California. I had met my future first husband at school, and we got married shortly thereafter.

The next several years were a mix of married life, having my first child, and doing any creative project that came my way because I wasn’t hirable without a certificate. Menus for restaurants, posters and programs for local theaters, flyers for real estate agents, and even hand painted campaign signs for local officials were always a “Yes, I’ll do it” thing for me. Hey, it was some form of art! It wasn’t until 1989 when I got enough courage to show my work at a higher level at “Palm Springs Life Magazine”. From that point on, graphic design was my passion, and I self-taught myself all the computer programs needed. In 1994, I remarried after being single for 7 years, and that is when I had my own graphic design business in Orange County. Moving forward, I made the switch from graphic design to fine arts in 2010. The first 10 years were mainly experimental. Around 2016, I started to put more effort into putting my work out in public, and my first gallery was a cool co-op in Laguna Beach, Ca, called Mystics Arts Gallery. I started to enter “Call to Arts” shows and gain more of a feel for what my niche was.

In 2018, I moved to Tucson, AZ, and opened a bed and breakfast, working my art business part time. At this point in my art career, I was beginning to discover my unique style and customer base. What has helped me a great deal are two on-line courses (I still currently take), one on Art Business taught by Jason Horejs from the Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale, and an Art Mentoring program taught by Matt Tommey. Since I was not able to get my certificate or degree in the art field, I took it upon myself to continue to learn by professionals online, and by real life experience. I feel this has influenced my work ethic as well as a rich knowledge of the arts.

Being single again, I have finally found my happy place in this sacred Arizona desert, and I hope to continue bringing others joy with my art. Now I can look at the difficulties in my career as a blessing that has helped me grow stronger in my faith and have a deeper appreciation for the awesome opportunities that come my way. The struggles are not as severe as they were when I was younger, and with time I have learned how to handle obstacles when they arise.

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