Artist Profile
Deirdre Bishop
How it Started:
Ever since I was a little girl I had a passion for art. I was always drawing my other love, horses. They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and they are right, I share the love of art and horses with my mom Maggie Cramer.
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The Younger Years:
Growing up, my mom made many sacrifices as a single mom to make sure I was able to embrace and develop the skills in both of my passions. Every summer I went to camp where I always made sure to sign up for horseback riding and arts & crafts. Even having horses of my own, I always needed to have the riding experience at camp. Once I was in high school, I made sure art was one of my electives all four years. I made my first sale from a water color that was exhibited in the school and finished with an A+ on my senior final which was a water color rendition of a Monet. I was also taking riding lessons and doing some low level "schooling" horseshows, but managed to finish as reserve champion my last year.
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The College Years:
I attended Rutgers University completely torn between Art / Education and Biology with the goal of becoming an Equine Vet, and landed on a major in Art History. Even though I was not going to college to practice fine art, I was always drawing or painting. My primary mediums then were pastels and water colors. Each year instead of buying posters to hang on the dorm walls I bought a large drawing pad and made my own posters of Georgia O'Keefe style flowers with pastels. While at Rutgers I also rode competitively on the equestrian team RUET and finished just one point shy of going to regionals. You might ask what does this have to do with an art page, but that comes later..
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Adulthood:
Right after college, my focus shifted a bit as I became carrier minded in a corporate setting. I did not let my creativity go and would be found doodling and drawing during lunch or down time which earned me a few pencil sketched portrait commissions and later my first acrylic commission. Aside from the stress that comes with it, I fully embraced corporate life and still do but I always looked for every opportunity to expose my passion and talent.
in 2015 one of my best friends, asked me to paint a mural for her son's bedroom. She chose Bob the Builder and an intricate scene she thought for sure I would say no to. ** this is where my other passion comes into play, see riding horses is not just the ability to sit on its back., it's the ability to connect with and trust a one thousand pound animal, put your fears aside and develop confidence in yourself along with a competitive edge. What I've learned throughout the years from my horsemanship experience has given me the courage to fully embrace and continue to pursue both passions of mine, art and horses.
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In 2016, I was chosen to do two murals in the conference rooms at the cooperate office where I work, Sabert Corporation, Sayreville NJ, and later commissioned to do 3 large scale commercial murals at a beverage manufacturer, 2017 - 2018 and several commissioned pet portraits. I put art aside for a few years when my dream of "bringing my horses home" turned into a reality, and I moved to my very own private horse farm in Hunterdon county where I have since grown my equine family to eight, (four horses, two ponies and two mini horses).
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In 2020 when Covid hit, I was able to work from home full time, but longevity of corporate jobs seemed uncertain, I decided I needed a safety net of supplemental income and applied for a part time job at a local franchise of a paint and sip chain, where I have been "working" since Oct 2020. Since then, my desire to draw and paint has exploded. I am painting and creating outside of both jobs almost every day and have broadened my style from primarily realism to include looser more abstract art, such as bold color painting and fluid art.
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Gratitude:
I would not be doing what I love without the support of my friends who have challenged me to push past my limits, my mom who has inspired me more than she realizes, my love of horses that has helped keep my competitive nature and built a level of confidence I never knew I could achieve, and last but not least;
I am grateful to YOU.. for reading this profile and following my art.
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~Deirdre