All Kiva Artists
Little Bird at Loretto
El Centro de Santa Fe
102 East Water Street
Santa Fe, NM 87501505-820-7413
505-820-7414 (fax)
info@kivaindianart.com
Debora Keene
Debora Keene's delicately carved feathers, placed in shadow boxes, are life-size to scale and depict the plumage of various birds. "I use bass wood for the most part, as thin as I can get it. Then I use knives and hand gouges to carve. A pheasant tail takes about 40 to 45 hours to carve. I use oil to paint most of them."
A life time resident of Michigan, Debora grew up in a family greatly interested in nature. Her grandmother was an art teacher and helped develop her interest in painting. By age eight, Debora was already beginning to show talent. In high school she was taken from basic art and placed into advanced classes.
After working in Detroit as a commercial artist, she and her husband, Ben, moved to Lapper. Ben is a biologist and resident manager of Eastern Michigan University's Environmental Education Center. This setting helps to provide an endless supply of subject matter for Debora to study and paint.