Deborah Brown is an acclaimed Northern Irish sculptor. She is well known in Ireland for her pioneering exploration of the medium of fibre glass in the 1960s and has established herself as one of the country’s leading sculptors, achieving extensive international acclaim. She became fascinated with nature during childhood years spent in Cushendun

Cushendun

Cushendun is a small coastal village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits off the A2 coast road between Cushendall and Ballycastle. It has a sheltered harbour and lies at the mouth of the River Dun and Glendun, one of the nine Glens of Antrim. The Mull of Kintyre in Scotland is only about...

 in the Glens of Antrim

Glens of Antrim

The Glens of Antrim , known locally as simply The Glens, is a region of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It comprises nine glens , that radiate from the Antrim Plateau to the coast. The Glens are an area of outstanding natural beauty and are a major tourist attraction in north Antrim...

 (which inspired her Sheep on the Road

Sheep on the Road

Sheep on the Road is an outdoor sculpture located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a life-size bronzes of six sheep and a shepherd, sculpted in 1991 by acclaimed Northern Irish sculptor, Deborah Brown. It was originally commissioned by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland for their sculpture...

sculpture). Living there during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, she studied landscape painting before moving to Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, where she entered the abstract art movement flourishing there. Her works have ranged from fibre glass sculptures to swirling geometric portraits.

Exhibitions

In 1982 a major retrospective of her work was held in the Ulster Museum

Ulster Museum

The Ulster Museum, located in the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, has around 8,000 square metres of public display space, featuring material from the collections of fine art and applied art, archaeology, ethnography, treasures from the Spanish Armada, local history, numismatics, industrial...

 and the Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane. Since 1951 she has had one person shows in Ireland, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 and Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 and exhibits at the Shambles Gallery, Hillsborough, County Down

Hillsborough, County Down

Hillsborough is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland, situated from the city of Belfast. It is within the Lisburn City Council area....

 and the Solomon Gallery, Dublin. In 2002 she had two exhibitions: Through the Rock at Cavanacor Gallery, Lifford

Lifford

Lifford is the county town of County Donegal, Ireland. It is the administrative capital of the county and the seat of Donegal County Council, although the town of Letterkenny is often mistaken for fulfilling this role...

 and Cast in Nature at the Waterfront Hall

Waterfront Hall

The Waterfront Hall is a multi-purpose facility, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, designed by local architects' firm Robinson McIlwaine. Practice partner Peter McGukin was the project architect....

, Belfast, curated by Marianne O’Kane. Her work is included in many collections in Ireland and abroad, including the Ulster Museum, Raidió Teilifís Éireann

Raidió Teilifís Éireann

Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...

, Bank of Ireland

Bank of Ireland

The Bank of Ireland is a commercial bank operation in Ireland, which is one of the 'Big Four' in both parts of the island.Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the Bank occupies a unique position in Irish banking history...

, Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane, Irish Museum of Modern Art

Irish Museum of Modern Art

The Irish Museum of Modern Art also known as IMMA, is Ireland's leading national institution exhibiting and collecting modern and contemporary art. The museum opened in May 1991 and is located in Royal Hospital Kilmainham, a 17th-century building near Heuston Station to the west of Dublin's city...

, Dublin and the Arts Council.

Works

• Sheep on the Road (1991), Life-size bronze, originally commissioned by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland
  Arts Council of Northern Ireland
  The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is the lead development agency for the arts in Northern Ireland....
  
   for their sculpture garden at Riddell Hall, Belfast. In 1999 it was purchased by Laganside Corporation
  Laganside Corporation
  The Laganside Corporation was a non-departmental public body formed by the Laganside Development Order 1989 with the goal of regenerating large sections of land in Belfast, Northern Ireland adjacent to the River Lagan...
  
  , after relocation of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, and relocated to the entrance to the Waterfront Hall, Lanyon Place, Belfast.