Deborah Lanino remembers drawing and being interested in art as early as kindergarten. She holds a Bachelors degree in Fine Arts from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. She has also studied art and art history in Florence, Italy. This provided an opportunity for her to gain first hand knowledge of a part of her own heritage and a unique link to the art world. Bernardino Lanino, a direct ancestor, was a Renaissance painter in Vercelli, Italy over 400 years ago.

After graduating, Deborah worked at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, fine art galleries, and later as a computer graphics trainer and designer before becoming a full time illustrator. The volume of her work includes numerous fine art paintings, magazine and book covers, as well as posters for the theatre. She is the illustrator of the children's picture books: The Littlest Angel, by Charles Tazewell, 1998; Maria's Comet, by Deborah Hopkinson, 1999; and Nina’s Waltz by Corinne Demas, 2000.

Deborah has exhibited her paintings in the following galleries:

• Society of Illustrators, New York, NY
• Every Picture Tells A Story, Santa Monica, CA
• The Acorn Store, Santa Monica, CA
• SACI Gallery, Florence, Italy
• Picot Hall, Albany, NY
• Rubelle & Norman Schafler Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
• Puck Gallery, New York, NY
• Pratt Gallery, New York, NY

Deborah enjoys book signings and speaking to groups of children and adults about illustrating children's books. She covers the process from early thumbnail sketches to the final paintings.