Deborah Cauchi

Deborah Cauchi - Original Paintings and LEGO Portraits:-

Deborah was born in 1968 and grew up in Sunderland, North East England. She has always loved drawing and painting and from an early age her favourite presents for birthdays and Christmas were “painting by numbers sets’, sketch pads, pencils and anything arty. Deborah's dad was her inspiration, he was an amateur painter and always sketching or painting something.   

After leaving school Deborah went to college and gained a BTEC Diploma in art and design. Not sure where to go from there she went to work for a photography company to pay the bills. Life then took over with a move to London, meeting her husband and bringing up two girls.  Deborah kept her passion for art by producing portraits drawings for friends and relatives along with the odd pet portrait commission.  In 2005 Deboah had the opportunity to return to education and in 2009 she graduated from the University of Sunderland with a BA Degree in Fine Art.  

Deborah says 'I do feel that at university you were left to your own devices really, you were given a topic and asked to come up with a portfolio of work from which you would then produce a final image. I wasn’t taught techniques or how to paint, hence I class myself as self-taught.  My degree was my first foray into painting with oils; apart from painting by numbers when I was little…. I always wanted to use oils and at the time my work was very realist, oil portraits and figurative pieces. My “toy” work really came about by accident when I was experimenting with paint and mark making. As a family we have always had a slight obsession (healthy) with Lego and retro toys. so I didn’t really need to look far for inspiration'.   

Deborahs work is based on her toy collection, as she is an avid fan of Lego, vintage toys and Funko pops. As the collection grows so does her inspiration. Deborah loves taking that long forgotten or much-loved object and give it it’s moment in the spotlight. Since graduating Deborah has exhibited and sold at numerous Art Fairs around the UK, including Edinburgh and Cheshire; had solo shows, won “The People’s Choice” national art competition in 2010, and been featured in international art publications, Artists magazine and Society of All Artists, on one occasion providing the image for the front cover and she currently has work in galleries around the UK.