When Deborah Kelroy first entered my office, she brought with her a question I instantly recognized—the quiet, hopeful curiosity of an artist pondering how their work might matter beyond the studio. She was seeking connection, purpose, and a way to give back through her creativity. During our conversation, she shared an experience that has stayed with me: attending a wet-on-wet oil painting workshop with Steve Ross, son of the late Bob Ross. She described it not as a celebrity moment but as permission—to loosen her grip, trust the process, and let painting be both joyful and healing. That experience helped her reconnect with painting on a deeply personal level and reaffirmed her belief that art can be gentle, generous, and restorative.
Deborah’s artistic journey has never been a straight line, and that is exactly what gives it depth. Her earliest creative training was hands-on, working as a cosmetologist and instructor at a time when hairdressing was as much sculpture as service. From teaching cosmetology to owning and managing a professional beauty supply distribution business, she learned early on how creativity, education, and entrepreneurship can coexist—lessons that would resonate throughout her life.
A six-week calligraphy course in the Italic hand opened the door to her next chapter. Calligraphy became both a craft and a calling, leading Deborah into graphic design and print media as everything was created by hand. For 35 years, she navigated the industry’s evolution—from paste-up boards and camera-ready layouts to the digital shift of the early 1990s—designing newspapers, magazines, advertising, books, and commercial print materials under tight deadlines. Throughout those years, she often spoke of retirement not as an end, but as a return to her own art.
And return she did.
After settling in Durango, Deborah enrolled at Fort Lewis College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art with a minor in Psychology in 2021. That combination is crucial to understanding her work today. For Deborah, art and human experience are deeply connected. Years earlier, while visiting friends in Billings, Montana, she came across a city-
sponsored art program for people with disabilities—artists supported by assistants who could step in as their hands when needed. That program stayed with her for over a decade, quietly influencing her belief in art as a tool for access, dignity, and healing.
Through internships at the Durango Art Center and the Center of Southwest Studies, Deborah put that philosophy into practice. She taught children and adults across various mediums—calligraphy, bookmaking, jewelry, watercolor, acrylic, and oil—while developing a studio practice grounded in calmness and presence. Her work has since been showcased in juried exhibitions and received awards that honor stillness, beauty, and resilience.
Today, Deborah’s influence reaches far beyond her own paintings. Through therapeutic oil painting workshops at the Durango VFW, she fosters welcoming spaces for veterans, people with disabilities, and community members alike. Her offerings—landscape, floral, and now Wild Bird Oil Painting—invite participants to explore movement, color, and observation through the peaceful elegance of the natural world. Deborah provides all materials, organizes public exhibitions, and hosts artist receptions to ensure each participant’s work is celebrated and recognized.
Deborah Kelroy’s story is one of patience, resilience, and purpose. From a conversation in my office to classrooms, studios, and community halls, she embodies what happens when a lifetime of skill, experience, and heart finally come together. She didn’t just discover her artistic impact—she became it.
Spring Day 1 / March 28 – Wise Old Owl | Spring Day 2 / April 11 – Stunning Flamingo | Spring Day 3 / April 18 – Cockatoo | Spring Day 4 / Blue & Gold McCaw | Spring Day 4 – Egret in the Midst / May 2 | Spring Day 6 – Majestic Eagle. Workshops are taught at the Veterans of Foreign War Post 4031 located at 1550 Main Avenue in Durango, Colorado. There are grants available for veterans, and everyone is welcome!
