Deidre DeForest is a mixed media editorial and children’s book illustrator based in Verona, WI.
She works primarily with pastels and uses gouache, watercolors, and professional crayons. Deidre is inspired by nature and works in plein air to influence her color palette and spontaneity.
With an Associate’s Degree in Graphic Design and Illustration, she has worked in the industry for over a decade. She has continued her education by taking mentorships through Visual Arts Passage. Recently she has worked for a company that provides adapted educational and communication products for people with intellectual disabilities where she gained experience with developing characters, storylines, and consistency, with clear visual communication for print publications. She started freelancing so that she could take her experience with commercial art and merge it with traditional art to make a broader impact.
Deidre is inspired by nature and meditation. She is the Director of Community Meditation™ for MindOasis.org, enjoys sharing the benefits of meditation to help others, and has offered sessions of merging art with meditation through art journaling.
Deidre was short-listed in the Communication Arts Illustration Annual, 2023, and received special recognition in the Light, Space, and Time 12th All Women Art Exhibition, February 2023.
Deidre’s perfect day: Painting in the field and coming home to her husband and cats
Thank you!
