|
|
 |
Debbie Bell Jarratt is an illustrator and designer, with many years spent in the giftware industry. She has worked for Hallmark, Enesco, The Franklin Mint, and others. Her most popular work is included in the collectible lines, Wee Country Folk, Dolly Dingle and Cobblestone Kids.
Debbie was born as Debbie Yvonne Rooker in Pennsylvania on October 13, 1948. She graduated from Germantown High School in Philadelphia in the class of 1966 and went on to study Fine and Commercial Art at Hussian College, also in Philadelphia. She was the first African American to graduate from Hussian in the class of 1971.
After college, Debbie moved to Kansas City, MO, with her first husband and daughter, where she began working for Hallmark on Sep 1, 1971. She worked there, as a Product Designer, until February 1976.
In March of 1976, Debbie started work as a Product Designer with The Franklin Mint. Her artwork was featured on a series of porcelain plates, called Cobblestone Kids. She also designed for a calendar plate series, a series of baby animal figurines, some children figurines and other collectible pieces.
On Jun 2, 1978, Debbie married William Thomas Jarratt III (Tom).
In 1980, Debbie joined the Enesco Corporation, as an illustrator. Her work was featured on a number of published Enesco products, including the Wee Country Folk range of figurines, mugs, banks, trinket boxes and other accessories. Her work was also licensed to other companies, including Lefton, Goebel and The Bradford Exchange. The Lefton Li'l Country Folk collection is very similar to the Enesco Wee Country Folk collection and often confused with it.
Although Debbie continued to work with Enesco through 2006, she established her own business in 1986 with her husband, Tom. The business was called Seeds Evangelical Greeting Cards, and, as the name suggests, was focused on the production of greeting cards and related products with an Evangelical Christian message. What Debbie and William would term Gospel witness products were targeted to the International Christian bookstore industry.
Debbie has created and/or illustrated a number of books, including Baby's Roots, Grandma's Favorite Country Recipes, Grandma's Favorite Desserts, The Scrapbook Memoirs of an African-American Artist, and Turn to Jesus.
In 2012, Debbie and Tom moved to Cape Coral, FL, for their retirement years, where they still currently reside.
(c)2017 Woolvey LLC
|
|
| Current Reviews: 0 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 0 items |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
