Debbie Curtis

Debbie Curtis was such a fun "find" for us here at Rug and Relic!  We "discovered" Debbie's work about three years ago, when she hung a couple of her first pieces in someone else's booth at an art show in Oklahoma City.  It took us a few days to track her down, as no one knew who she was, but when we found her, we told her we'd love to carry her work.  She was thrilled to have her first gallery, and we were thrilled to have such a fun new artist!  

Since that time, Debbie's work has continued to grow and develop, expanding beyond her early work which focused primarily on the earliest Barbie images, to include African American Barbies as well as some very modernist depictions of this iconic American character.   In recent months, her work has garnered her some strong national attention, including a mention in Time Magazine (July 27, 2009), and culminating in her presence as a featured artist at the International Barbie Convention every year since.    

Debbie describes her work as "looking hard into the face of a plastic icon."  As she says, finding the meaning of her paintings is up to the viewer.  Her work certainly captures the imagination - and the memories - of those who view it.  We can't tell you how many times we've seen grown women giggle like school girls as they view her work, recalling a simpler time in their lives.  And sometimes, recalling the haircuts they gave their own Barbies...or the awful things their brothers did to them.  Go ahead - take a trip down memory lane for yourself!  Click here to view her full collection.