Debra Diann Odom
dodom@ucsd.edu

Debra Diann Odom is a Marine Corps veteran who enjoys her career at UCSD as the Fiscal / HR Administrator for Thurgood Marshall College Provost and Business Office. Although she loves what she does at the university, her real passion is reflected in her creations as she blends her eye for color and design with infused shapes and symmetry. Her abstract paintings reflect her African heritage, her thoughts and feelings of harmony and balanced relationships between people and nature. She uses ink, watercolor and acrylic on canvas, wood, cardstock and glass. She designs clothing and write poems from time-to-time.

Art is a very important factor in Debra’s life - it allows her to freely express and extend herself to others an intimate part of her inner being, she is a self-taught artist who has been creating wonderful works since early childhood growing up in North Carolina and Virginia.

In her adult years she has taken an African Art and design class. While attending Virginia State University in the late 70’s, she assisted mentors Sherman Edwards and John Lockett in a Summer Youth Upward-bound Program at Hampton University to finance her education. Artist like Romare Beardon, Ernie Banks, Charles Bibbs, and Grandma Moses (another untrained artist who produced wonderful works well into her 80’s), influenced and inspired Debra to use the creative artistic talent and individual style her Creator has given her as long as life would allow.

On December 16, 2002 Debra produced yet another wonderful work of art – a beautiful daughter Bryah Inez Odom (who is now 7 years old); this indeed to say the least is her best work ever – her masterpiece! Although it has been a challenge to balance motherhood, a career and produce more wonderful creations since Bryah’s birth, Debra still creates wonderful works of art. Her inspiration now is her daughter, Bryah, whom she plans to hand down all that she knows. Just as she has captured many with her charisma and personality so has the work of Debra Diann’ Odom who with or without signature has taken pride in everything that she has produced. Several pieces of her artwort has been auctioned for several fundraisers and university functions.

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