Deb Ondo

I take my name from my grandmother—a name that signifies origin and inheritance; the root beneath the rock. I have been painting since I could hold a brush. My family supported my creativity and I was encouraged to make art a part of my daily life. My mother, an artist, was an important influence, and the natural world was my primary teacher. As a child, I had the freedom to paint expansively—transforming walls into murals and living spaces into informal galleries. By adolescence, I was receiving commissions. My professional path unfolded outside the studio. I worked in local television, collaborating with highly creative teams, before transitioning to the nonprofit sector in New York, where mission-driven work and collective purpose shaped my understanding of storytelling and impact. Throughout these years, painting remained an undercurrent rather than a centerpiece. The early months of the COVID pandemic marked a turning point. This period catalyzed a shift in my visual language, giving rise to yellow skies and purple trees. Landscapes that moved beyond representation toward states of transition and encounter. It was during this time that I committed to keeping art at the center of my life. Now based in Massachusetts, I actively paint and exhibit my work. Through my paintings, I explore the interconnection and kinship between humans and the natural systems that sustain us. We are nature, after all. We are one.