Debbie Dicker is a San Francisco-based artist who captures the natural world's beauty underwater and on land. Her journey as an artist began in kindergarten when she discovered her love for art as a haven and support system while struggling with reading and writing. This passion led her to attend the High School of Art and Design in New York City and then onto several universities where she studied art and design, textile, and even had the opportunity to design and install a large artwork for a university's 50th-anniversary celebration. In the 70s, she studied art and design at the State University of New York at New Paltz and textile design at Buffalo State College. She earned a teaching credential from Portland State University. At Portland State, Debbie was commissioned to create her first public, site-specific artwork, four two-story pieces that hung outside the university's theater for 20 years. She then moved to San Francisco and studied graphic design at California College of the Arts. Debbie has received a California Arts Council Grant, a three-year art residency at Laguna Honda Hospital, co-founded a commercial photography studio, and spent 17 years as the Head Art Teacher at Marin Horizon School.
Debbie's passion for travel has led her to explore new sights and unique cultures and to engage in unforgettable experiences. She created her dream trip, which took her to Bali, followed by Vietnam and Cambodia, where she taught young children. Next, she traveled to China, teaching English using art, and included a week along the Silk Road to the Gobi Desert. Debbie continues to travel the world and especially enjoys international art shows such as the Venice Biennale and Miami Basel.
In 2018, Debbie discovered diving, which has opened an entirely new world of experiences, and extensive world travel, to Fiji, the Maldives, the Solomon Islands, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Diving has prompted an excellent stimulus for her art. Five years ago, she retired from teaching in schools and now truly gets to live her dream of doing her art and traveling the world. She continues to share her knowledge and experiences through online art classes that target the artful traveler.