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“Lanino's contemporary paintings are marked by vibrant hues of blue, purple and yellow:
they add a different dimension of light reminiscent of Impressionist art to her canvases."
- Catholic Herald UK - 9/30/2024
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Biography
Deborah Lanino, born in New York, began her career working as an illustrator of numerous books and magazines, her first published work being the beloved Christmas classic, "The Littlest Angel." With a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute and a master’s degree from Argosy University, she also studied art abroad at SACI in Florence, Italy. Deborah has worked as an art educator and taught college art for over 10 years at the Art Institute in Los Angeles. Currently, she exhibits her work in numerous museums and galleries nationwide, including The Blackfriars gallery, bG Gallery, Sturt Haaga Gallery, Range Projects Gallery, The Beverly Hills Art Show, LA Gallery 825, The Napa Institute Arts Festival and The Huntington Gardens and Art Museum. Her artwork has garnered recognition in esteemed publications such as The New York Times, St. Petersburg Times, Tampa Bay Times, San Francisco Arts, The Catholic Herald UK, House & Garden UK, & Wine Spectator. Recently, in September of 2025, she was awarded a grant from MOFSA in recognition of her solo exhibit, “Reimagining, Faith, Hope and Love” at the Blackfriars Gallery. Deborah currently resides in Los Angeles, and maintains her art studio.
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Artist Statement
I remember drawing as soon as I could hold a crayon, and I am grateful that my parents encouraged my love of the arts. My first sentence was “I See.” Art is a universal language, and I always found I could say things with art that I could not with words alone. I draw inspiration from faith, ancestry and renewal. I give thanks and glory to God. Years ago, when I was a college junior at Pratt, studying abroad in Florence, Italy, I traveled north on a train, and saw the churches, museums and a museum exhibition in Vercelli, commemorating 400 years since the death of Renaissance painter Bernardino Lanino (1512-1583). I learned about the prolific Lanino Workshop in Vercelli and of my ancestral connections to this great artist. In my work, I use Renaissance techniques such as chiaroscuro (lights and darks), sfumato (blurring edges) pentimento (painting over), thin transparent layers of glazes and thick impasto. My colors are inspired by the nature and beauty of the west coast. My goal is to uplift and bring positivity to the viewer.
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​​EXHIBITIONS
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​​2026
"Contemplating California" Range Projects Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
"Fact Finding" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"Ardent" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"Home Grown" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"Little Angel" Holy Grounds at St. Monica, Santa Monica, CA
"MOFSA Retrospective" - TBA
​​2025
"Ever Ancient, Ever New: Meditations on the Holy Face" Napa Institute, Art Festival, Napa, CA
"Lux Veritatis" St. Luke's Art Gala. St. Vitus Parish Hall Los Angeles, CA
"Spectrum Gestalt 25" bG Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
"Advent Fair" Santa Monica, CA
"Duets" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"Aurora" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"Greatest Radiant" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"Factory Fresh" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"Beaten Path" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"Habitual" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"Newman Center Pasadena" St. Philip the Apostle Parish Center, Pasadena, CA
“Spring Awakening” LELA International, Los Angeles, CA
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2024
SOLO EXHIBITIONS​
"Reimagining: Faith, Hope & Love" The Blackfriars Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2024
"Spectrum Gestalt 24" bG Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
"Limitless" Las Laguna Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
"Honoring the Feminine" Range Projects Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
"Finding Joy" Shoebox Arts, The Brewery, Los Angeles, CA
"A Bridge for Peace" LELA International, Los Angeles, CA
"Defining our Legacies, Ancestors to Ancestors" Avenue 50 Studio, Los Angeles, CA
"Advent Market" St. Monica Church Parish Center, Santa Monica, CA
"Catholic Arts Festival" St. Vitus Church, Parish Center, Northridge, CA
"Take Flight" GEO Gallery, Burbank, CA
"The Circle Project" Beverly Hills Art Show, Beverly Hills, CA
"Applied Science" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"Indistinct Chatter" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"Smalltime" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"Turf" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"Ready Go" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"The Thunder of Meaning" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
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​​2023
"Shape and Form" Sturt Haaga Gallery, Descanso Gardens, La Cañada Flintridge, CA
"A Keen Eye" The Range Projects Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
“Beloved Planet” The Makery, Los Angeles, CA
“Holiday Show” The Makery, Los Angeles, CA
"The Berkeley Art & Interreligious Pilgrimage Project"
Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA
"Generations" Nan Rae Gallery, Burbank, CA
"Storytellers" Las Laguna Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
"Reflections & Projections" The Encino Terrace Gallery, Encino, CA
"Artwork" The Encino Terrace Gallery, Encino, CA
"It Figures" Gain Federal Credit Union, North Hollywood, CA
"Smalltime" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"Confection" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"Words on Printed Page" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"Full Bodied" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"Aurora" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
"New Baroque" LA Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
Selected Exhibits: 1997 - 2022
The Huntington Art Museum & Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA
ADM Projects Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
UCLA Festival of Books, Los Angeles, CA
The Society of Illustrators, Los Angeles, CA
San Fernando Art Association, Los Angeles, CA
California Design College, Los Angeles, CA
The Acorn Store, Santa Monica, CA
The Montana Library, Santa Monica, CA
Every Picture Tells a Story, Santa Monica, CA
The Art Institute Gallery, North Hollywood, CA
CSUN Gallery, Northridge, CA
The Beverly Hills Library, Hernando, FL
Mitchell’s Books, Nantucket, MA
The Maria Mitchell Association, Nantucket, MA
The Atheneum, Nantucket, MA
Rubelle & Norman Schafler Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Puck Gallery, New York, NY
Pratt Gallery, New York, NY
Society of Illustrators, New York, NY
Picot Hall, Albany, NY
College of Saint Rose, Albany, NY
SACI Gallery, Florence, Italy
GRANTS
The Marianne Oberg Foundation for Spiritual Art (MOFSA) 2025
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AWARDS
Gold UCDA Award. University and College Design Associates
Silver Medal for the National Case Awards
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PUBLICATIONS
New York Times
St. Petersburg Times
​Tampa Bay Times
The Catholic Herald UK
UK House & Gardens
San Francisco Arts
Family Tree Magazine
Wine Spectator
Intentfully FIT
Angels on Earth
Nursing Magazine
La Maze Publishing
The Babylon Beacon
Golf Journal
Government Executive
COVER ART
PennStater
Cornell Alumni
Pomona College Magazine
Simon & Schuster
Grolier
Clarion
Random House
Greenwillow
Barnes & Noble Classics
Scholastic
Farrar Strauss & Giroux
Henry Holt
Houghton Mifflin Books
Orchard
McDougal Littell
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ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
California Design College - Faculty
The Art Institute of California - Faculty
Fremont College - Faculty
Pratt Institute - Faculty
Milken Community Schools - Faculty
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MEMBERSHIP
The Los Angeles Art Association
Burbank Art Association
California Creative Arts
National Association of Women Artists
The Thomistic Artist Guild
Pratt in LA Alumni
EDUCATION
Pratt Institute BFA
Argosy University MA
SACI Florence, Italy
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