Deane specializes in abstract and nonobjective painting, where a brush stroke here or a rubbed or dabbed paint streak there might suggest different things to different viewers. With allusion and visual suggestion comes artistic meaning. Deane says, "I have certain things in mind when I create each piece, perhaps the emotion of joy or tranquility when I choose my colors, or perhaps the influence of the Orient or an obscure European tradition when I layer in bits of paper or gold leaf. This is new art, but tradition is frequently there too."