Original works of art

Debra Lampert-Rudman is a graduate of Kean University with a BA, majoring in English and The Pennsylvania State University with a M.Ed. in Children's Literature. She has studied Ceramics and Watercolor under Hella Bailin, Marguerite Brennan, Peter Callas, Elizabeth Horowitz and Tom Neugebauer at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey. She has also taught Ceramics at the duCret School of Art, Plainfield, NJ, where she directed the Ceramics Department for several years.

Debra began working with clay at age 5, primarily creating animals, particularly dogs, with a great interest in depicting various breeds. As an adult, she has shown and breeds Cocker Spaniels.

She creates high-fire stoneware ceramics bringing a contemporary dog-lover's sensitivity to the traditional style. Debra is an award-winning ceramic artist whose work has been accepted several times for the juried "Art Show at The Dog Show" and in a variety of national galleries.

The Commission Process:
Debra normally works from photographs. After talking with the client about the dog's personality (favorite toy, places he/she likes to go, etc.) she studies the AKC Standar for the breed.

First, she creates a small watercolor sketch of the proposed piece which is shown to the client for their approval. The ceramic piece is then created using stoneware clay. The length of time to create each piece varies. After its first firing, it is painted with underglazes which are applied in at least three layers to achieve the correct color, depth and dimension. The underglazes dry for several days and a final glaze coating is then applied, drying for another day or two. The final glaze is fired in a high-fire kiln. Once glaze-fired, the art work is non-porous and the colors are permanent, deep, bright, and vibrant. Each ceramic piece is unique and the entire process takes about 4-6 weeks.

Debra is currently accepting a limited number of new commissions. Please contact the gallery for more details or to view more examples of her work.