Debbie Brosen is a self-taught artist from upstate New York. She grew up in a rural area, which gave her a deep love and respect for nature and wildlife. The time spent outdoors hiking, hunting and observing wildlife provides inspiration and ideas for her art.

She began drawing and painting at a young age. When her father had to take a job that didn’t provide them with the opportunity to spend a lot of time together, he drew and left her a picture of an image of Snoopy that was then found on a bread wrapper. Debbie copied the drawing and in turn left it for her father. He was thrilled to see her accomplishment and bought her some art supplies. From here, her art journey began.

Debbie received her first commission at the age of 8 when she painted a wood duck on a board. She was “paid” in art supplies. She found that she loved to mix and create different colors and turned to painting in acrylics rather than drawing with pencils. Debbie has continued to paint and make original works of art since that day.

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Her parents and friends have always been a huge support of her journey. Debbie’s Dad told her, “you have a gift from God and need to share it with others. I want you to become known for your art and the talent you have.” Unfortunately, Debbie lost her Dad to cancer and 2007 and he didn’t get to witness some of her greatest achievements.

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In her early career, Debbie painted on wood, driftwood, canvas, saw blades, slate, and tree “fungus” also known as conchs. This seemed to be what everyone was painting at the time, and Debbie wanted to try something different. It wasn’t until Debbie stumbled on a unique surface that she found her niche. While looking to earn extra funds to support holiday gifts for her children, Debbie tried painting on the feather of a wild turkey. That painting changed her life. Today, Debbie is known as “the feather lady” because of the thousands of feather paintings she has created over the past 30 years. Every feather is different, both in markings and texture, and therefore, every painting is unique. The challenges faced with painting feathers is what made Debbie choose feathers as her primary canvas to work on. Debbie creates personal treasures of cherished pets, hunting memories, beautiful wildlife, and more.

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For the past 30 years, Debbie has used the sale of her work to help further conservation efforts and habitat protection, so wildlife has a place to live and flourish. She has worked with numerous hunting/sporting organizations, as well as local gun clubs, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars to support their efforts. Her generosity in this manner led to her earning the Pass it On Award from the New York State Outdoor Writers Organization in 2021, and induction to the NYS Outdoorsman Hall of Fame in 2022. Debbie was accepted as a member of the Artists for Conservation, an international non-profit organization that promotes education and wildlife conservation through the arts. A portion of all sales from this website are donated to conservation organizations.

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The realistic and detailed approach Debbie has mastered has drawn a great deal of attention to her work. Her art can be found in private collections throughout the US and Canada and is now offered for purchase at the Off the Rails Makers’ Market in Chatham, New York.