Originally trained as an experimental psychologist with a few art courses as electives, Deborah Eater spent years as a homemaker and community volunteer who expressed her creative drive through artistic crafts. Her self-taught proficiency in knitting, crochet, tatting, needle lace, rug making, and spinning was recognized throughout Bucks County where she resided. Landing a position teaching art in 2002 began her transition from artistic crafts to fine art. While teaching, she studied drawing and painting at Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia, PA. When her school closed in 2010 Deborah devoted herself full time to creating fine art.
Although she also works occasionally in charcoal, oil pastel, or clay, Deborah Eater’s primary medium is collage. She collects found images clipped from magazines and catalogs, de-acidifies and buffers them, and cuts them into tiny pieces. Using each scrap of paper as a brushstroke, she creates nuanced collages that appear at first glance to be paintings. Arcs, spirals, and graceful curving lines appear repeatedly throughout her work.
A native of Pittsburgh, PA, Deborah Eater now resides in Levittown, PA. She is a member of Artists of Bristol, the Arts and Cultural Council of Bucks County, the Doylestown Conservatory Artists Guild, and the Bristol Artist Alliance. She teaches collage and mixed media at the Art Barn in Langhorne, PA. Her work is exhibited locally at the Centre for the Arts in Bristol, PA, and she maintains an art blog called "Cricketswool" on WordPress.com.
While transitioning from crafts to fine art, Deborah Eater won numerous ribbons at the Middletown Grange Fair for collage, drawing, and painting. More recently her work has won awards in shows at Fleisher Art Memorial, Stover Mill Gallery, and the Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts. Her collage has appeared in juried shows throughout eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including the Sketch Club in Philadelphia, PA and Ellarslie Museum in Trenton, NJ.