Debora Christy Love exhibits work in downtown Camp Verde

Camp Verde artist and business owner Debora Christy Love, who is originally from Canada, channels her creative energy into nature-themed paintings.

Love has lived in Camp Verde for about five years. After taking an art class in high school at age 16, she thought that someday she would become a painter.

“It wasn’t till maybe 35 or so that I decided that the ‘someday’ I had thought about at 16 had arrived,” Love said. “It was now or probably never.”

At that time, her kids were older and she found she had more time to delve into painting, although she said she had remained creative even when busy with her kids, knitting sweaters and painting their rooms.

“I think most children love to create things naturally and for some people it never goes away,” Love said. “It stays strong in their life. I’ve always held on to that because I knew that if I lost it, I’d lose me.”

Love primarily paints landscapes and nature scenes and said that she learned a great deal from Bob Ross’ television show before branching out into New Age-themed works, including a 50-card “wisdom” deck incorporating previous paintings.

“Many alignments were there, hidden in very meaningful back stories to many of the paintings and their corresponding messages,” Love said. The reverse side of each card features a progressively-completed painting involving a rainbow, mountains, a bird and a representation of a tree of life.

Love said that the hard work it took to become a better painter was worth the effort, because of the way creating allows her to be lost in time. “I always found that the time creating things was where time would just zip away,” Love said. “It just takes you away from worries.”

She added that while many people view art as an escape, she views it instead as a way to solve problems, especially subconsciously.

Love is a part of the recently-formed Camp Verde Artists group which aims to encourage local artists to come together, inspire one another and create a thriving art scene. Her work is on exhibit at the Camp Verde Community Library as part of a group show by the Camp Verde Artists.

“It’s really important because doing art is kind of isolating,” Love said of the group. “It takes that personality who likes to be alone and do their art and spend time alone, but it’s nice to also be with other artists that understand that and the creative process.”

She said that she had joined an artists’ group in Canada years before and that when she would go to the group’s meetings, where they painted together, she felt inspired to paint more herself.

Love also runs a shop on Main Street called Mystic Muse where she sells her paintings and crystal jewelry.