Debra Cook Shapiro

Debra Cook Shapiro, featured in Create! Magazine and in the Time Capsule Exhibition, is a San Francisco-based painter and collage artist whose vibrant figurative paintings and collages celebrate strong female friendships, family bonds, and the joy of gathering together. Originally from the St. Louis area, Shapiro moved to California in 1984 to reset her life and pursue her passion for art. Over the next fourteen years, she continued her art education whenever opportunities arose, including studies in San Francisco and Florence, Italy. She later built a family life in San Francisco, raising two sons while continuing her artistic practice and teaching art in workshops and schools. In 2025, she received First Place in Collage & Fiber Art from the Women United Art Prize. Her work has been selected for the Every Woman Biennial in New York City and exhibited in juried exhibitions, art fairs, and publications in the United States and internationally.


Artist Statement

Over the past decade, my work has traced a journey from loss and uncertainty toward resilience, and ultimately, confidence and joy. Following the pandemic, travel, weddings, and reunions renewed my appreciation for human connection and shifted my focus toward gatherings, friendship, and belonging.

Today, my paintings and painted-paper collages depict people in gardens, by pools, on beaches, and around tables. Inspired by lived experience and art history, I create scenes that celebrate friendship, family, and the moments that give life meaning.

More recently, collage and mixed media have brought a new sense of play and discovery to my practice. Oil-painted vellum preserves the vibrancy of my palette while allowing me to layer, cut, and reassemble forms. In recent works such as The Sweetest Hours, I have begun cutting apart painted canvas and reconstructing it with layers of vellum. Rather than fitting the image into a predetermined rectangle, I allow the composition to determine the shape of the work. I am drawn to the way figures, tables, gardens, and landscapes can emerge into areas of open white space, allowing light, air, and imagination to become part of the composition.


www.debcookshapiro.com