Abstract Florals

Debora Stewart combines elements of drawing and abstract painting in her pastel works featuring bountiful blooms

- By Debora Stewart

I am an abstract artist working in both soft pastels on paper and large format acrylic paintings on canvas. I have come full circle in many ways. When I was younger, my focus was primarily figure drawing and portraits. I drew and painted very realistically for many years. I became “stuck” and frustrated with copying photographs, so I began to experiment with working abstractly. I had always been attracted to abstract but had no idea how to begin. Out of frustration I cut some photos up into small pieces and began to draw the small segments. This helped me discover how I could develop abstracts based on realistic subjects. It also helped me to simplify and find abstract shapes. My non-objective pastel abstracts were the result of this experimentation, and I focused on this process for several years. I played with underpaintings, creating my own surfaces, learning different pastel techniques, and color theory. I was happy with what I was creating, and abstract was a very good direction for me as I always felt energized and challenged.

MY DESIGN AND COMPOSITION TACTICS

Drawing. I begin with a contour drawing of a flower or several flowers and plants. I draw from life and rarely use photos now. The drawing is more of a shorthand version of the subject. It is expressive and begins a more intuitive process. I never use the drawing “as is.” I combine elements from several drawings for one composition.