DEBRA WENLOCK

Debra has worked as a freelance designer for many years, but has always been a painter at heart. The infiltration of cars into her artwork began when she first visited Northern Ireland in 1987 and discovered the huge motorsport following. She has completed numerous commissions for classic and vintage car enthusiasts and first showed her motoring art at an Ulster Club event in 1989.

To bring her interest in historic Motorsport into her artwork, she began a collection of paintings of the legendary Ards Tourist Trophy races.

The exhibition of these 22 paintings in 2003 marked the launch of Debra's book "Campari and Soda Bread", containing all her TTT images.

She has since focused on the Irish Grand Prix race series of 1929 to 1931 for an exhibition in Dublin's Phoenix Park in July 2004. These paintings caught the imagination of the Office of the Public Works, who purchased and commissioned a collection of Debra's pictures, as a permanent celebration of the races for the Irish State.

Debra has also shown her work in group exhibitions at TheAlex Reade Motorsport Gallery, Goodwood Festival of Speed, Donington Park and Coventry Transport Museum.