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 mother, an artist, was an early influence, and the natural world became my primary teacher. As a child, I was given the freedom to paint expansively, transforming walls into murals and living spaces into informal galleries. By adolescence, I was receiving commissions. My professional path took me outside the studio, first into local television in Boston, and later into the nonprofit sector in New York, where storytelling, creativity, and collective purpose shaped my work. Through it all, painting remained an undercurrent. The early months of the COVID pandemic marked a turning point. Yellow skies and purple trees emerged, and my landscapes began moving beyond representation toward something more expressive and alive. I committed to keeping art at the center of my life. Now based in Massachusetts, I paint expressionistic landscapes that hover between representation and abstraction. Through heightened color, simplified forms, and energetic brushwork, I explore nature as a living presence. My work is rooted in interconnection and kinship with the natural systems that sustain us. We are nature, after all. We are one.