Artist of the Month, May 2013: Debra Belsky

Text and Photographs by Melanie Bernier

Marker and pencil on paper, 2013. 

May's Artist of the Month is Debra Belsky, who has worked at Gateway since 2007. Called "Deb" or "Debbie" by many, her colorful, introspective artworks reflect her interests - which include animals, babies, and moods - and day-to-day ruminations. 


Deb's aesthetic is particularly well suited for a month associated with bright colors, newborns, and nature. However, while colorful, her work is sometimes infused with unsettling details: for instance, a baby's blue eye covered with squiggly red veins, or a checkerboard-tooth grin under large black nostrils. Her personal brand of dark humor is especially pronounced when she explores themes such as sour moods, crying, conflict, and physical pain. 

Pen and marker on paper, 2013.

Deb's special attention to order, color placement, and pattern make her work immediately recognizable. Sometimes rainbow stripes line the outer edge of her paper to form a decorative border; other times, they lay in diagonals behind a figure for a psychedelic, flashy effect. 

Crayon and pen on paper, 2012-2013.

Marker and pen on paper, 2012-2013.

She employs her whimsical aesthetic across a variety of media, from pre-fabricated objects to ceramics, fiber art, and jewelry. Her jewelry and wooden sculptures often focus on color and pattern, while her ceramic pieces might explore the human form, and work as an extension of her drawn imagery. 

Marker on wood with glue, 2013. 

Ceramic clock with glaze, 2012. 

Ceramic sculpture with acrylic paint, 2012. 

To see more of her work, visit Deb's page on our website or our Artist of the Month Facebook album.

Interview with the Artist: Michael Oliveira

Text and Photography by Melanie Bernier

Detail of Michael's embroidered portrait of artist Kayla Johnson.

Working silently at a desk, seated in his wheelchair, Michael Oliveira is very clearly an artist dedicated to productivity. He slowly and methodically needles his work, typically taking up to 20 seconds to complete a single stitch. Given his process, it’s no surprise that it’s taken him over four years to complete this piece, an embroidered portrait of fellow Gateway artist Kayla Johnson. Today, as he lays down his final stitch, his hard labor proves well worth the effort.

Michael typically works on this piece every Monday afternoon in Weaving studio. His instructor, Jenine Shereos, took her position as Weaving Studio Facilitator a few months after he began this piece. While she can’t speak to his initial impulse to create the portrait, she describes how he has come to her studio every Monday afternoon and gotten straight to work: wheeling to his cubby to pick up materials, and finally settling in an empty spot at one of the work tables.

He’s an extremely independent worker. Michael has developed his own embroidery method that results in a unique surface texture of contrasting thick and thin linework. Jenine, who is herself a fiber artist, says the aesthetic of his stitching is unlike anything she’s ever seen.



Michael poses with his embroidered portrait, finished a few minutes prior.

We caught up with Michael right as he announced "I'm done!":

Gateway: So you just finished this piece in weaving. Congratulations! How did you make this?

Michael: I drew Kayla first, then I (embroidered) the head outline black, then the ears, this one then this one then this arm, the leg, the other leg, the arm, then the mouth and teeth and nose. The eyes too.

GW: They look really nice. How did you decide which colors to use?

M: Kayla’s eyes are brown and her nose, too. And she has white teeth.

GW: And what about her arms and legs - why did you decide to do them blue and red?

M: I don’t know. I just like to draw them blue.

GW: What made you choose Kayla as a subject?

M: She’s a friend.

GW: You like doing portraits. What is it about portraits that you like best?

M: I like to draw the other clients here.

GW: What choices do you make as you work? Do you select all the fabric, the colors of thread?

M: Yea, I pick the colors (of embroidery thread) and put them on the fabric (that I choose).

GW: How long did this piece take to complete? A few months? Years?

M:  I don’t know when I started.

GW: So what is this piece going to be?

M: A pillow.

GW: What are you going to work on next?

M: Maybe David (O’Toole, fellow Gateway artist – ed)

GW: What’s the best part about being an artist?

M: You can do art like a drawing, painting, and stuff in pottery. I am doing a bear in fabric. I drew it, then I sewed the eyes brown, the ears brown, all around.

GW: Is there anything else you want to say about Gateway?

M: I love coming here (BIG smile).

By the end of studio time, Michael has begun his next piece: an embroidered portrait of David O’Toole.

Jenine will turn the completed embroidery of Kayla into a decorative throw pillow, which will be for sale in our craft store soon.

Toast to Gateway

A Toast to Gateway was a great success! The champagne was flowing, the music was lively, and the art was outstanding. Thanks to everyone who came out and showed support for our artists and studios.

Special thanks to Patti Kraft, Robin Helfan of Robin's Candy, Margaret Bodell, and our live group The Next Band.

Artist Becky Gellar (right) with friend.

Artist Neri Avraham poses with his painting (bottom right).

Director Rae Edelson (right) with Julie Bernson

Art Director Stephen DeFronzo (right) with GAC members Jack and Judy Cunningham.

Full house!