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Deb Menken, SCA, Contemporary artist

@debmenkenart

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Creating colourful abstract art to satisfy my creative soul. May it add beauty and joy to your life and may God be glorified through it all.

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Not my favourite thing to do but the prompt today is Selfie so here we are! And since I have never done an introduction post this seems like a good opportunity to do that and to thank all of you for following along on my creative adventures. I am doing this on the fly because if I wait until it is all planned out , it won’t happen! Here are 10 things about me:
1. I am a Canadian artist living and painting about an hour northwest of Toronto , Ontario⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
2. I am happily married for almost 34 years to my famous chainsaw carving husband Jim and we have 3 wonderful children who have 3 equally wonderful spouses and 3 of the cutest grandchildren (yup I am totally biased).⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
3. I have been painting for just over 10 years. What started out as curiosity quickly turned into an addiction. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
4. I am largely self taught although I have learned a lot from all of the generous artists out there who share, share, share. Thank you!!!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
5. I have an IT background which has come in very handy navigating all the tech stuff artists need to know to do all the stuff that doesn’t involve painting!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
6. I love playing games, the current favourite being Qwirkle⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
7. I am originally from Baie Comeau a teeny town in northern Quebec that I am proud to say produced a prime minister 🥳⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
8. I am a 17 year breast cancer survivor (praise the Lord). Sounds terrible and it was but it is because of that that I finally started painting. It wakes you up to the fact that you won’t live forever and stop putting things off!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
9. I love road trips. In 2024 I drove to Newfoundland and the most recent was back to my home town with two childhood friends for a high school reunion . It was just so fun!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
10. If you have been following along you already know that I am a Christian and faith is important to me. I try to do everything in a way that is hopefully pleasing to God. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’m curious, Did anything surprise you here? Is there anything you would have liked to hear that I did not mention? I found it hard to think of 10 things! Day 10 of #21daysinmyartworld26 . Thank you @taraleaver ! I might never have done this without this challenge. taken in Mono, Ontario by @debmenkenart

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9 months ago

One beautiful day a few weeks ago a lovely lady who was visiting the Alton Mill was taking some photos of my studio. The light was so nice in there. When I asked her about the photos she generously shared them with me! Thank you Marisol Arroya for the gorgeous photos!! One of my favourite things about having a studio at the @alton.mill is all the nice people I get to meet!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#studiotime #studiovisits #studiophotos ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Ontario artist, Dufferin County, Orangeville area, professional artist, Canadian visual artist taken in Alton Mill Arts Centre by @debmenkenart

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a year ago

It’s the weekend and what better way to spend it than taking in some art! It is Open Studios here at the mill and I will be here all day Saturday to welcome you into my studio. The mill is part of the Caledon Studio Tour so you can make a day of it! Hope to see you! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Studio tour, Caledon Art, Headwaters Arts, open studio, Toronto day trippers, hidden gems, Ontario artists #debmenkenart taken in Alton Mill Arts Centre by @debmenkenart

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7 days ago

Anyone else love rocks like I do? My favourite thing about them is the way they hold heat. I just wish they were a little more cuddly because I just love to lean into a nice warm rock! Drop me a comment and tell me what you like about rocks! So I am not the only weirdo around here 😂😂😂⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
#debmenkenart
Large immersive abstract, creation inspired, abstracted nature, abstract expression taken in Alton Mill Arts Centre by @debmenkenart

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16 days ago

People often asks me How long does it take? And the answer is As long as necessary! As long as it takes me to be happy with it. And this one was a journey. It started with a flash of rock spotted on the way home from camping. It was kind of smooth and looked liked it had flowed into that spot before it hardened. I thought to myself That might be an interesting composition for a change. Well it wasn’t ! It was actually kind of boring. It looked cool in its context but not really on the canvas. So after a few attempts to liven it up I gave up and performed some major surgery on it. Now it is gritty and looks like it belongs in the family collection Numinosity. Presenting Numinous 8, 30 x 60 in. Interestingly no one visiting the studio commented on this piece in its earlier rendition. However since it’s new incarnation I am hearing a lot of WOW! I love hearing that! ☺️☺️. Not on the website yet so message me if you are interested. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Large Contemporary Art, creation inspired, Rock paintings, Canadian Shield, statement paintings, Abstraction, abstract expression
#debmenkenart taken in Alton Mill Arts Centre by @debmenkenart

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18 days ago

The opening Soirée was fantastic! If you missed it you can still see all wonderful artwork including my two pieces featured here at the gallery in the Alton Mill. Open Wed- Sun, 10-5 pm. I am also in my studio there most afternoons, Wed-Sat or by appointment.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Large abstract art, creation inspired, rock paintings, contemporary , Canadian, original art for sale #debmenkenart taken in Alton Mill Arts Centre by @debmenkenart

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21 days ago

Origins by the immensely talented @andietrepanierart and Placed Upon the Rock by yours truly looking like best friends on the wall here at the Headwaters Arts Fall Festival juried show and sale! Be sure to take in this fantastic show, on until Oct.4. You have to see the art in person. The art is beautiful, the building is gorgeous and it’s the fall, a beautiful time for a drive! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Large contemporary art, on the rock, rock inspired art, Canadian Shield, Creation Rocks #debmenkenart taken in Alton Mill Arts Centre by @debmenkenart

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22 days ago

So excited that 2 of my pieces were juried into the 2026 Headwaters Arts Fall Festival art show! Rescued and Placed on the Rock can be seen and by purchased at the Headwaters Arts Gallery located in the Alton Mill Arts Centre in Alton, Ontario from September 16- October 4. This will be a fantastic show with 70+ pieces of original Canadian art! Even better come out to the Opening Soirée on the evening of Sept 17 to get first dibs on your favourite pieces! Tickets can be purchased at Headwatersarts.org.
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Rock inspired, original Canadian art, large abstract, creation rocks, statement art, Canadian Shield, abstract landscape taken in Alton Mill Arts Centre by @debmenkenart

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a month ago

Remembering my mom. I just realized that today is the 35th anniversary of her death from breast cancer at the age of 56. She did not have an easy life as my father was diagnosed with MS at the age of 25. I didn’t always like the way she behaved but I don’t remember hearing her complain. She was an amazing woman in many ways. She set an example of strength, independence and don’t let being a woman stop you! She was a DIYer long before it was a thing. The patio is just one example. She taught us to be creative. When we were young she made us a full set of Barbie furniture with fabric covered cigarette packages! Thanks mom. I am who I am because of you 💕⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Valerie June Anderson, May 27, 1935-Aug 17, 1991 taken in Baie-Comeau, Quebec by @debmenkenart

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2 months ago

A couple more rock paintings almost done, a 30 x 60 and a 40x36. Full of yummy texture . And that orange glow just sets them off. Time for a bit of staring before I call them done. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Rock paintings, Canadian Shield, large abstract expression, statement art, majestic rock, my Rock, creation rocks, Canadian artist #debmenkenart taken in Alton Mill Arts Centre by @debmenkenart

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2 months ago

Introducing my latest series Numinosity! Numinosity? What’s that?? Well go have a look at my website where I explain how I came to the name of this series! DebMenken.com It is actually kind of interesting 🤔 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Large rock paintings, Canadian Shield, Feels like home, Grounding, art and faith intersects, abstract expression, contemporary art #debmenkenart taken in Alton Mill Arts Centre by @debmenkenart

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3 months ago

New rock paintings coming soon. Doing all the finishing stuff: signing, photographing, varnishing, titling. I am super excited about these. Feed back from visitors to my studio @altonmill during the painting process has been great. Sign up for my newsletter if you want to be notified when they hit the website 😉 visit DebMenken.com and find Newsletter on the menu or there is a link in my IG bio.

Rock paintings, Canadian Shield, abstract rock cliffs, large paintings, abstract expression, creation rocks, gritty, feeling grounded #debmenkenart taken in Alton Mill Arts Centre by @debmenkenart

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4 months ago