DebraK Art

10/13/2026

If your painting looks ugly right now, good. 🎨

That’s the messy middle, and every painting I make goes through it. It’s the stage where the layers don’t make sense yet, the colors feel muddy, and you want to scrape it all off and start over.

Don’t. That’s exactly when it’s about to come together.

Send this to a friend who’s stuck in the messy middle right now, and follow for more encouragement from my studio.

Now go make something today, and send me a picture 💛

10/11/2026

I got a sneak peek at Volume 25 of The Turquoise Iris Journal as one of its curators, and I can’t wait for you to see it! 💙
This issue is called EMBODY, and it’s all about making creativity part of the life you’re already living, not someday when you have more time or a better studio.
EMBODY arrives October 15 in print and digital. Comment IRIS and I’ll send you the link, and follow along for my full flip-through when my copy arrives.

09/30/2026

What I wish someone told me when I started painting: it doesn’t have to be perfect to be worth making. Some of my favorite pieces started as ‘mistakes.’ Follow along if you’re figuring this out too!

09/28/2026

This banner started as a blank canvas and ended up as one of my favorite quick projects. Painted with Dixie Belle Chalk Paint, follow along for more transformations like this one.

09/21/2026

I’m excited to share my latest blog for The Turquoise Iris Journal!
One of my favorite parts of creating is building a piece layer by layer and letting it evolve as I go. In this article, I’m sharing some of that process and how I use paint, texture, and mixed media to create depth and interest.
It’s such an honor to be a curator for The Turquoise Iris Journal and have the opportunity to share more of the “why” and “how” behind my art. I’d love for you to give it a read! 💕

What if you stopped trying to paint autumn…and started painting what autumn feels like?

That’s the invitation from our newest Turquoise Iris Journal curator, mixed-media artist DebraK Art, in her first tutorial for the Journal.

Deb asks us to look past the obvious pumpkins and orange leaves and notice what’s really happening outside:
Peeling bark.
Brittle leaves.
Dried grasses.
Weathered wood.
Bits of green still hanging on.
Layers of what came before.

Then she shows us how to translate all of that into a richly textured mixed-media painting.

Deb uses dimensional mediums, natural impressions, earthy paint colors and plenty of imperfect marks. She presses leaves into wet texture medium, works darker colors into crevices, drags lighter colors across raised surfaces—and even covers up parts she loves.

Her process?
Add. Cover. Reveal. Repeat.
Because not every beautiful layer needs to remain completely visible.
Sometimes just a trace of it is what gives the finished piece its depth.

If you're ready for a fall project that goes beyond painting another orange leaf, Deb is walking you through the process in our newest Journal blog.

Read “Layering Paint for Rich Autumn Texture: A Mixed Media Technique Guide” by Deb Kraska on The Turquoise Iris Journal blog. https://www.theturquoiseirisjournal.com/layering-paint-for-rich-autumn-texture-a-mixed-media-technique-guide/

And help us welcome Deb as one of our newest Journal curators!