Deborah Meyer of Madison received a SMAC Individual Artist grant in 2021 to produce watercolor paintings using photographs from her time in Ski Lanka as a reference. Deb was part of a volunteer group from Minnesota that responded to the aftermath following a tsunami in December 2004. Deb's grant focused on producing, and professionally framing, her watercolor artworks.

Deb Meyer Artist Statement I have always had an interest in art and now, in retirement, I can dedicate more time to a growing passion. I took an online class in watercolor portraits and people are my favorite subject. “Sri Lanka in Watercolors” is a collection of custom framed watercolor paintings made possible, in part, by funds received through an Emerging Artist Grant from the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council. The funds paid much of the cost of the custom framing. “Sri Lanka in Watercolors” is also an opportunity for me to relive the time I spent in Sri Lanka on a mission trip 15 years ago. I traveled with 32 volunteers from Minnesota to help Sri Lankan coastal villages recover from the devastating tsunami that occurred December 26^th 2004, following an earthquake off the shore of Indonesia. We were in Sri Lanka for four weeks in February of 2005. Experiencing a different culture was enlightening as I am not a well-traveled person. The people I met were very gracious, even after losing most of what little they had. Their smiles and resilience was inspiring. As I was looking for painting ideas, I remembered the photos I had from this trip. Most of the ones that I used for reference photos were taken by Paul Jackson of Monticello, MN. I use them with his permission.