Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer is a Jewish-American painter and artist most known for being the mother of Doja Cat. Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer’s daughter Doja Cat rose to notoriety after the release of her viral music video Moo! in 2018.
Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer’s Early Life and Education
Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She comes from the Sawyer family and has the middle name Elizabeth.
For her high school education, Sawyer attended Lenape High School in her hometown. She then went on to pursue higher education at the College of New Jersey, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree focused on Studio Art in 1993.
After completing her bachelor’s, Sawyer furthered her education by earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in Painting from the prestigious Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York in 1995. Her fine arts degrees from respected institutions laid the foundation for her later work as a painter and artist.
Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer’s Marriage to Dumisani Dlamini
Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer was previously married to Dumisani Dlamini, a well-known actor from South Africa. The two met while Dlamini was performing on Broadway in New York City in the hit musical Sarafina!
We met in New York while he was performing on Broadway, we had a brief relationship, but he was too busy traveling and touring to spend time with her and her brother.
Doja said in one interview that, her mother used to tell about her father:
Dlamini’s busy career touring and traveling made it difficult for him to spend enough time with Sawyer and her family. Later the couple divorced in the 1990s.
During their short-lived relationship, Sawyer and Dlamini had three children together – their eldest being daughter Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, who would later achieve fame as the musical artist known professionally as Doja Cat. Sawyer also gave birth to another daughter and son from Dlamini.
After separating from Dlamini, Sawyer raised her children for a period as a single mother in New York. She eventually decided to relocate the family from the East Coast to Los Angeles, settling in the upscale neighborhood of Oak Park.
Also Read: Julian Dennison Family: Mother and Twin Siblings
Sawyer became friendly with fellow artistic mother Debra Haines, forging a jewelry-making connection. Sawyer’s children also received occasional babysitting from Haines’ daughters Alexis and Gabrielle – both of whom later gained some notoriety of their own by being featured on reality TV and entangled in a celebrity robbery ring.
Dumisani Dlamini is a well-known African actor
Dumisani Dlamini is a renowned film, television, and stage actor hailing from South Africa. He first gained widespread international recognition for his portrayal of the character “Crocodile” in the 1992 musical movie Sarafina!
Sarafina! starring Dlamini along with high-profile names like Whoopi Goldberg and Leleti Khumalo, told the story of a youth uprising against apartheid in South Africa.
Dlamini has gone on to build an extensive performing arts resume over an impressive career spanning more than 30 years. He is known not just for his acting abilities, but also skills in dancing, singing, hosting, and motivational speaking.
Dlamini told GQ South Africa that one acting role bringing him particular pride was playing “Celemba” in the TV series eHostela. The complex character and compelling storylines showed his growth as an actor and led to his first nomination for a South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA).
The veteran performer has starred in numerous South African television shows and films, while also taking work as a program host and MC.
Dlamini has expressed great pride in the meteoric success of his daughter – famous U.S. rapper and singer Doja Cat.
Doja herself confessed in an interview that she was unaware of the full breadth of her father’s talents – particularly his dancing – until seeing videos later in life. She raved about his acting and dance skills in the iconic Sarafina!
Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer’s New husband Carey Netherton
Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer is currently married to Accomplished Sculptor Carey Netherton. Carey Netherton, currently a sculpture instructor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, has built an impressive career as an artist and educator.
He grew up in Sullivan, Illinois after being born on January 3rd in the 1980s.
Netherton attended his hometown Sullivan High School, graduating in 1922. He pursued a passion for creative arts at the university level, earning a degree from Eastern Illinois University in 1998 with a focus on Art and Philosophy.
Netherton went on to study Sculpture at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where he eventually returned as faculty. He spent years perfecting his craft there before completing his studies and working towards becoming a sculpture teacher in 2008.
In 2000, he began at the renowned Johnson Atelier – an institution specifically focused on highly skilled sculpture using methods like metal casting and fabrication.
Netherton remained at Johnson Atelier for the next four years until 2004. During his time there, he assisted on painting and preparing sculptures for museum installations and exhibitions.
Doja Cat’s Bond with Mother Deborah Sawyer and Father Dumisani Dlamini Beloved
Grammy award-winning musician Doja Cat, born Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, was raised in her early childhood largely by her mother Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer. After giving birth to Doja Cat, Sawyer initially moved them from Tarzana, California to Rye, New York.
Doja Cat spent ages 3 to 8 living in New York with her grandmother, who nurtured her creative spirit as an established architect and painter. Sawyer, grandmother, and great-grandmother were all gifted painters selling artwork.
When Doja Cat turned 8, Sawyer decided to pack up and move back to the West Coast – settling into a unique commune environment in Santa Monica, California focused on Hindu faith and spirituality. Living there from age 8 to 12 proved formative, especially with legendary jazz figure Alice Coltrane leading the community.
Sawyer is described by her famous musical daughter as a “free-spirited hippie type” who was very open and encouraging regarding creative pursuits. As early as elementary school, Sawyer prioritized enrolling Doja Cat in performance art schools to foster her talents.
“My mom is, like, a hippie from the ‘60s, super, like, chill with most things,”
the rapper and singer told Billboard in 2021.
“When it came to music and everything, she wanted to be a part of it. She wanted to hear it.”
In interviews, Doja Cat recalls her mother putting her in dance lessons of all varieties as well as theater and ballet training. Doja Cat further pursued her interests – joining a youth dance crew in California and competing in breakdance competitions.
“She put me in dance and everything,”
“When it came to school, I was in mostly performing arts, and I would take ballet and stuff like that.”
the rapper said.
Doja Cat Never Knew Her Father, But He Remains Proud From Afar
Doja Cat has confessed that she never interacted at all with her father in person to this day. In interviews, she is transparent that she “doesn’t know him very well”. Dlamini was entirely absent throughout Doja Cat’s childhood and formative years.
Doja Cat noted in one interview that her father had commented affectionately on some of her social media posts in months prior.
He’s on Instagram and he’d come in some like pictures sometimes maybe not anymore but he did a few times like months ago.
Doja told Radio One D.C.
“He’s an incredible dancer and a great actor, But yeah, I don’t know him very well,”
Doja Cat said.
Dlamini frequently shares Doja’s music videos, awards show clips, and appreciation posts to his fanbase of thousands.
On July 14, 2023, Dlamini posted a video of Doja laughing and wrote
“WOW LET ME HEAR THE BEST FROM THE BEST GOOD LUCKY.”
He also shared a photo of the singer saying “African Princess”.
“AFRICAN PRINCESS THANK SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING GOD BLESS YOU MORE,”
Dlamini said on his Instagram post
Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer Career
Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer, the mother of viral rap sensation Doja Cat, is a painter and artist over her decades-long career.
She is also known for acting credits in the indie film “The Chronicles of Blood” and TV movie “Friends Don’t Let Friends Date,”.
Deborah earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts focused on Studio Art from The College of New Jersey, then got her Master’s degree in Painting from the well-respected Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY.
You may also like: Actor Paul Mescal is Dating a Singer Phoebe Bridgers, Inside Their Relationship Timeline
She learned how to repair damaged sculptures, get gallery exhibitions prepped, and make sure priceless artworks were safely moved around top museums like the Guggenheim.
Deborah makes lots of different types of art these days using all sorts of materials:
- Vibrant paintings in oils, wax, and gouache with environmental themes
- Sculptures from pigmented wax
- Assemblages using old car parts and rusty metal pieces
- Life-like human and household item sculptures made by casting molds
- Landscape acrylic paintings inspired by places she has lived
Exhibitions and Awards
Throughout her lengthy art career, Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer’s work has been displayed through various solo and group exhibitions.
Some of Sawyer’s notable paintings or sculptures include 2008’s “Organic Mechanics” at AxD Gallery in Philadelphia along with “Reformed Relics” hosted six years prior in 2002 by the Extension Gallery in Sawyer’s home state of New Jersey.
In addition to these solo art showcases, Sawyer’s pieces have also appeared alongside other prominent artists in multiple group exhibition settings.
In 2002, Muhlenberg College bestowed their Purchase Award for artworks contributed by Sawyer to their exhibition. This followed a similar honor a decade earlier from The College of New Jersey’s own Purchase Award offered out in 1992.
New Jersey’s own The College of New Jersey houses some Sawyer art pieces as part of their overall assembly of works accumulated since the school’s 19th century founding days to preserve local regional creativity.
Sawyer also has contributed works purchased and preserved as part of Muhlenberg College’s sizable Fine Arts Collection. Spanning thousands of creations in all mediums, this collection serves as a teaching resource and evolving appraisal of art history.
