Golden Falls Debra Van Tuinen
Born in United States
Lives and works in Olympia, Washington, USA
Artworks
Golden Falls
122 x 152.4 cm - Oil on canvas
Ribbon of water
153 x 122 cm -Acrylic and Oil on canvas
Wave Dance
213 x 107 cm -Acrylic and Oil on canvas
Watergarden
182 x 91.44 cm -Acrylic and Oil on canvas
Dancing at Dusk
213 x 127 cm -Acrylic and Oil on canvas
Flash of Sunlight
218 x 107 cm -Acrylic and Oil on canvas
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Debra Van Tuinen is an American contemporary artist whose career spans more than four decades. Based in Olympia, Washington, she creates luminous abstract landscapes that explore the emotional and spiritual connection between people and the natural world.
Working across painting and printmaking, Van Tuinen is recognized for her layered surfaces, atmospheric color, and meditative compositions that evoke memory, light, and landscape rather than literal representation. Her work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States and internationally, including major art fairs and museum exhibitions, and is held in numerous public, corporate, and private collections. She has also participated in the U.S. Department of State’s Art in Embassies program.
Van Tuinen earned an MFA from the University of Washington, a BFA from Hope College, studied at the Byam Shaw School of Art in London, and pursued advanced studies in traditional Japanese woodblock printmaking in Japan. Her work reflects a lifelong exploration of nature as a source of contemplation, transformation, and human connection.
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MFA — University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Double Major: Drawing (Norman Lundin); Printmaking (Glen Alps and Bill Ritchie)
BFA — Hope College, Holland, MI
Byam Shaw School of Art, London, England
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2026 Seattle Art Fair — Seattle, WA
2026 Washington Center for the Performing Arts — Olympia, WA
2024 Christine Klassen Gallery — Calgary, AB
2023 Ledger Law — Tacoma, WA
2022 Van Tuinen Art — Olympia, WA
2021 Suzanne Zahr, Art & Architecture — Mercer Island, WA
2020 Woodward Canyon Winery Artist Series — Walla Walla, WA
2020 Susanne Zahr Architects — Mercer Island, WA
2019 Space Gallery — Denver, CO
2018 Artworks — Vancouver, BC
2018 Susanne Zahr Architects — Mercer Island, WA
2018 Ledger Law — Tacoma, WA
2016 Spectrum Miami Basel — Miami, FL
2016 Goodwin Fine Art — Denver, CO
2015 Christine Klassen Gallery — Calgary, AB
2014 Butters Gallery — Portland, OR
2013 Christine Klassen Gallery — Calgary, AB
2013 New Art Center — New York, NY
2013 Petley Jones Gallery — Vancouver, BC
2012 Bu@ers Gallery — Portland, OR
2010 Van Tuinen Art — Olympia, WA
2009 Butters Gallery — Portland, OR
2009 Artworks — Vancouver, BC
2009 Washington Center — Olympia, WA
2008 Summit Fine Art — Banff, Canada
2008 Artworks — Vancouver, BC
2007 Butters Gallery — Portland, OR
2007 Summit Fine Art — Banff, Canada
2007 Artworks — Vancouver, BC
2005 Butters Gallery — Portland, OR
2004 Butters Gallery — Portland, OR
2004 Kimzey Miller Gallery — Seattle, WA
2004 Gallery Gora — Montreal, Canada
2003 Artworks Gallery — Vancouver, BC
2003 Elizabeth Edwards Gallery — Palm Springs, CA
2002 Butters Gallery — Portland, OR
2002 Kimzey Miller Gallery — Seattle, WA
2001 Kimzey Miller Gallery — Seattle, WA
2001 Elizabeth Edwards Gallery — Laguna & Palm Springs, CA
2000 Butters Gallery — Portland, OR
1998 Santa Fe Contemporary Art — Santa Fe, NM
1997 Butters Gallery — Portland, OR
1996 Kimzey Miller Gallery — Sea@le, WA
1995 Butters Gallery — Portland, OR
1994 Butters Gallery — Portland, OR
1992 Butters Gallery — Portland, OR
1990 Phillip Brock Gallery — Seattle, WA
1989 Paccar Corp. — Bellevue, WA
1988 Marianne Partlow Gallery — Olympia, WA
1986 Pacific NW Bell — Seattle, WA
1984 Lynn McAllister Gallery — Seattle, WA
1980 Hope College — Holland, MI
1979 Grand Valley State College — Grand Rapids, MI
1978 Muskegon Community College — Muskegon, MI
1977 Kalamazoo College — Kalamazoo, MI
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2025 ARTSEEN — Los Angeles, CA
2023 Oehme Graphics — Portland, San Francisco, and LA Print Fairs
2022 ChrisYne Klassen Gallery — Calgary, AB
2022 ARTERRA — Bellevue, WA
2022 Space Gallery, Print Show — Denver, CO
2021 West Coast Print Fair, Oehme Graphics — Steamboat Springs, CO
2020 ARTSEEN — Los Angeles, CA
2020 CK Gallery — Calgary, AB
2019 Oehme Graphics — Boston Print Show, NYC Print Show
2019 Space Gallery Annex — Denver, CO
2018 Bu@ers Gallery — Portland, OR
2018 Art Boca Raton
2018 Art Palm Beach
2018 Steidel Contemporary — Palm Beach, FL
2018 Sea@le Design Center — Sea@le, WA
2018 ChrisYne Klassen Gallery — Calgary, AB
2017 ACA — Steidel Fine Art — AusYn, TX
2017 Bu@ers Gallery — Portland, OR
2017 Denver Central Library — Denver, CO
2017 Petley Jones Gallery — Vancouver, BC
2016 ChrisYne Klassen Gallery — Calgary, AB
2016 Bu@ers Gallery Print Show — Portland, OR
2016 Petley Jones — Vancouver, BC
2015 Bu@ers Gallery — Portland, OR
2015 Petley Jones — Vancouver, BC
2014 Bu@ers Gallery — Portland, OR
2014 ChrisYne Klassen Gallery — Calgary, Canada
2013 Petley Jones — Vancouver, BC
2012 LA Affordable Art Show, January
2012 Weiss Gallery — Calgary, Canada
2011 Projects Gallery — Philadelphia, PA
2011 Petley Jones Gallery — Vancouver, BC
2011 ElevaYons Gallery — Canmore, AB
2010 Broadway Gallery — New York, NY
2010 Miami Basel Show, Nina Torres Gallery — Miami, FL
2010 LA Art Seen — Los Angeles, CA
2009 Miami Red Dot Show (Bu@ers Gallery)
2009 Artprize — Grand Rapids, MI (Top 75)
2009 Robert Daniel Gallery — Tacoma, WA
2008 Bu@ers Gallery — Portland, OR
2008 Miami Red Dot
2007 Artworks Gallery — Vancouver, BC
2006 AAF — New York, NY
2005 AAF — New York, NY
2005 Florence Biennale — Florence, Italy
2004 Palm Springs InternaYonal — Palm Springs, CA
2004 Gallery Ochi — Sun Valley, ID
2003 Elizabeth Doyle Gallery — Maui, HI
2000 Art 21 InternaYonal Show — Las Vegas, NV
1999 Santa Fe Contemporary Art — Santa Fe, NM
1998 Agart World Print ExhibiYon — Bled, Slovenia
1998 Facet Fine Arts Center — Taos, NM
1997 SITE Santa Fe — Santa Fe, NM
1996 Sea@le Art Fair — Sea@le, WA
1995 Sea@le Art Fair — Sea@le, WA
1994 Portland Art Museum — Portland, OR
1993 Bu@ers Gallery — Portland, OR
1992 van Straten Gallery — Chicago, IL
1988 van Straten Gallery — Chicago, IL
1987 Centrum Print Show — Sea@le, WA
1987 Whatcom Museum of Art — Bellingham, WA
1986 Shoshanna Wayne Gallery — Los Angeles, CA
DEBRA VAN TUINEN of 
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1986 van Straten Gallery — Chicago, IL
1986 WA State Pavilion Expo — Vancouver, BriYsh Columbia
1983 Northwest Print Council — Portland, OR
1976 Henry Museum — Sea@le, WA
1974 Joslyn Art Center — Omaha, NE
1973 Hope College — Holland, MI
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Museums and Corporate Collections
Grand Rapids Art Museum • Kansas State University • Paccar CorporaYon • Art in Embassy — 2016 Tashkent,
Uzbekistan; 2008 Doha, Qatar • The Village — Vancouver, BC • L'Hermitage Hotel — Vancouver, BC • U.S. State
Department • Imperial Bank of Canada • Winsor Park Hotel, Taiwan • Nordic Research Group — Vancouver, BC
• Intrawest • Wiser CorporaYon • Keg Restaurant — Vancouver BC, Calgary, Montreal, AusYn TX, Banff, Canada
• Commonwealth Insurance Company — Vancouver, BC • PHSA — Vancouver, BC • Bonneville Power
Administration • Museum of Encaustic Art — Santa Fe, NM • Mitsubishi • Steelcase Corporation • American
Art • Westinghouse Corporation • City of Grand Rapids, MI • Herman Miller • City of Olympia, WA • Tectonics
CorporaYon • Hope College — Holland, MI • Sea@le First National Bank • Kaiser Medical • Association of
Northwest Gas Utilities • Hilton Hotels • Hyatt Regency Hotel • Bank of America • Heritage Bank • Gannett
News • Nordstrom • Paccar Corp. • Security Pacific / U.S. West • Burlington Northern • First Federal Bank of
Detroit • Perkins Coie Law Firm
Film Industry — Selected
Jake 2.0
FEIHT Productions (Killer Instinct)
Prior Offenses Production
I, Robot
Smallville
The L Word
Code Name: The Cleaner
Publications
100 NW Artists, Book, Schiffer Press — December 2013
Artwit NYC Online Magazine — April 2012
NY Arts Magazine — Summer 2010
The Rocky Mountain Outlook — May 2008
The Oregonian — February 2007
Biennale Internazionale dell'Arte Contemporanea, Quinta Edizione — 2005
Home and Garden — Fall 2005
The Portland Mercury — April 2002
Dream House, Western Canada Magazine — 2004
The Magazine, Santa Fe, New Mexico — 1998
Essays
Doug Meyer, LA Art CriYc
Ann Landi, NYC Art CriYc
John Spike, Critic and Director of the Florence Biennale
John AusYn, Manhattan, NYC
Commissions for Public Art
2000 City of Olympia Portable Collection
1997 City of Olympia, 1% for the Arts — Outdoor Tile Mural
2007 Centrum Artist in Residence, Centrum Press — Port Townsend, WA
1987 Centrum Artist in Residence, Centrum Press — Port Townsend, WA
Museum Shows
Portland Art Museum
Grand Rapids Art Museum
Whatcom Museum of Art
Henry Art Museum
Facet Fine Arts Center
SITE Santa Fe
Joslyn Art Center
Gallery Affiliations
Artseen — Los Angeles, CA — laartseen.com
Space Gallery — Denver, CO — spacegallery.com
Butters Gallery — Portland, OR — buttersgallery.com
ArtWorks — Vancouver, BC — artworksbc.com
ARTERRA — Bellevue, WA
Christine Klassen Gallery — Calgary, AB — christineklassengallery.com
Coast Gallery — Manzanita, OR — coastgallery.com
Faculty Positions
1985–86 Pra@ Fine Art Center — Seattle, WA — 2D, Printmaking
1979–81 Kendall School of Design — Grand Rapids, MI — Printmaking, Design Print Studio and Print Studies,
Color Theory, Drawing
1978 City High School (for exceptional students) — Grand Rapids, MI
1978 Kalamazoo College — Kalamazoo, MI — Printmaking, 2D
1978 Grand Valley State College — Printmaking, 2D
1977 Keiwa Gakuen High School — Niigata, Japan
1972–73 Hope College, Printmaking Department TA — Holland, MI
Lectures, Seminars & Professional Experience
1993–2013 Encaustic Instructor in USA and Italy
2010 Encaustic Class, Elevations Gallery — Canmore, Canada
2009 Lectured on Art and Business Round Table — Olympia, WA
2008–2009 Hollyhock Artist in Residence — Physics of Wave Energy
2008 Banff Artist in Residence
2005–2008 Co-taught Art of Investing, Women's Studies — Olympia, WA
2002–2012 Van Tuinen Art Gallery — Olympia, WA
2005 Centrum Residency
2005 Florence Biennale Show and Lectures
2005 Olympia Downtown Association (ODA) Board
1998 Olympia Public Art at Children's Center
1996–1997 Commissioner, Olympia Arts Commission
1993 Collaboration with Dale Chihuly on etchings prepared for Seattle Opera; set up and organized his Seattle
printmaking studio
1992–1993 Olympia Children's Hands-On Museum Board
1989–1992 New Century High School — established Artist in Residence program; Studio Host for Gised
Students
1987 Centrum Artist in Residence, Centrum Press — Port Townsend, WA
1986 Set up WA State Pavilion, Vancouver BC Expo
1982 Lectures to Michigan colleges on her work
1980–1981 Developed print department and designed print studies at Kendall School of Design
1979 Community Artist Project, Grand Rapids, MI — headed team of 7 artists for a traveling art show and
placing visiting artists in the public schools through Federal Grant