Deatra Colbert's favorite subjects for her artwork are the athlete and the television actor. One does not need to be a fan to enjoy her fanciful paintings, drawings and prints. Her art is strewn with flowers, small arbitrary forms and wavy lines with words and names associated with sports stars or TV actors. She often depicts human figures as a focal point, but all of these elements are interwoven in a decorative manner with a delicate hand. The resulting whole can be likened to a full-color tapestry or to aboriginal sand painting.

Colbert's interest in sports began years ago when she attended her first baseball game. Since then, she has collected sports magazines and trading cards and has watched televised sports events.

Colbert lives at her family's home in Richmond, CA. Born in Ohio in 1964, she moved to the bay area as a child. She has studied computer science, math, and reading at Contra Costa College in San Pablo. She began working in art at the age of 30 after joining NIAD in 1994.

Colbert's art has been shown in at the Intuit Gallery, Chicago; the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum; in People Who Illuminate in Copenhagen, Denmark; at Project Ability in Glasgow, Scotland, as well as in group shows at NIAD, the Creative Spirit Gallery in San Francisco, and at Berlex Biosciences, Richmond.

Untitled (3)
Mixed Media on Paper
11 5/8 " x 17 5/8 "
$115

Untitled
Scratch Board
9 3/4 " x 6 3/4 "
$65

Untitled (2)
Acrylic & Pencil on Canvas
24 " x 24 "
$225

Untitled (4)
Watercolor on Paper
17-1/2" x 23"
$135