DEBORAH HOCKING
As a child, Deborah Hocking dreamed of becoming an artist. In college she completed four majors—Painting, Illustration, Graphic Design, and Spanish—and then studied abroad, living in both Madrid and Central America. She and her husband, Jay, next moved to France for six years and while there took a two and a half month, 1,100-mile hiking/backpacking trip from Paris to the Atlantic coast of Spain where she did a sketch-a-day during their journey. Her most recent endeavor was achieving her Master's in Children's Illustration from Cambridge School of Art in England. In all her learning and travel Deborah has become the artist she dreamed of being, creating the illustrations for multiple children’s books.
Deborah is interested in themes of connection: with other people and with nature and the environment. She is inspired by curiosity and continuous learning, and uses artmaking and storytelling as a way to discover more about the world and share this excitement with others.
In 2022 she was selected as a finalist in the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition, shortlisted for the Communication Arts Illustration Competition, and was runner-up for the Sebastian Walker Award.
When not drawing, you can find Deborah out hiking with her silly, fluffy poodle pup, Luna, or weeding her garden under the spell of a riveting audiobook back in her hometown of drizzly but charming Portland, from a tiny attic studio in her 100-year-old cottage.
