About the ArtistDebra Harley is a Louisville based self-taught fiber artist who incorporates a distinctly African-American style in geometry, balance, fabric and color in her art quilts. She follows her intuition while continually practicing to master the techniques of handquilting. With over 40 years of experimentation in crochet, tie-dye, hand embroidery, fabric stamps and weaving she finds working with needle and thread by hand,  a balm for head and heart.

 

Her first public display of her work was in May 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Most recently, Debra was a selected artist in the annual Celebrating the Black Experience exhibition at the Kentucky Center for African-American Heritage in Louisville, Kentucky. Kairos/Chronos will be Debra's first solo exhibition.

 

Debra is a retired educator from New Orleans and now an active aquatic fitness instructor and personal trainer in Louisville. She finds that art connects us to the human experience and can be used as a tool to deconstruct the things that keep us apart. Through a heart-centered vision her process begins intuitively with color and includes an original execution. "I am influenced by original designs and patterns in nature. I see my creativity as part and parcel of my spiritual journey. I want my creations to follow an ancestral continuity leaving behind something that will outlast me.

 

"​Listen to Debra's Radio Interview with Ketih Waits of Louisville Visual Art on ArtFM WXOX