The NEST Project

Portrait Photography • Fine Art • Community

The Nest Project is the creative practice of visual artist Debbie Baxter.

Through portraiture, fine art, immersive installations, and community experiences, I explore identity, belonging, resilience, and our relationship with the natural world. Some projects begin with a single portrait. Others invite entire communities to participate. Each is rooted in the belief that art has the power to deepen our connection to ourselves, one another, and the living world.

The Nest Project is an invitation to participate. Whether you're commissioning a portrait, exploring a new body of work, visiting Blackbird Studio, attending an exhibition, or following the journey as it unfolds, I invite you to discover the many ways art can connect us.

Where Art Meets Connection

Current Body of Work

The Natural Order of Things

We are not separate from nature. We belong to it.

An evolving body of photographic work exploring identity, embodiment, and our relationship with the living world.

Explore the Series →

Featured Exhibition

Hope is Beyond Words at The Reser:

April 3 – May 17, 2026

Centering survivors of domestic and sexual violence in Oregon, this public exhibition is a multi-partner art exhibition currently in production. Created in collaboration with the City of Beaverton Police Department and City of Beaverton, Family Peace Center of Washington County, and Patricia Reser Center for the Arts.

The project was made possible through community support from Kickstarter donations and City of Beaverton Arts Grant

I’m learning to let LOVE in.

– Linda

Debbie Baxter

Debbie Baxter is a visual artist based in Portland, Oregon. Through portrait photography, fine art, immersive installations, and community-based projects, she explores identity, belonging, and our relationship with the natural world.

Over the past decade, Debbie has invited thousands of people to participate in The Nest Project through human-sized nest installations, public art, exhibitions, workshops, collaborative storytelling, and her book, NEST. Together, these projects have invited people to witness one another's experiences and rediscover the power of vulnerability, creativity, and connection.

Today, Debbie's practice continues to evolve through The Natural Order of Things, an ongoing body of photographic work exploring the relationship between humanity and the natural world. Rooted in portrait photography and expanding into exhibitions, installations, and community experiences, her work reflects a belief that we are not separate from nature— we belong to it.

From her artistic home at Blackbird Studio, Debbie continues to travel nationally and internationally, creating portraits, installations, exhibitions, and community experiences that invite deeper connection with ourselves, one another, and the natural world. Each new body of work builds on the foundation of The Nest Project while opening new conversations about identity, embodiment, resilience, belonging, and our relationship with the natural world.