Angel Falls, 2021

Deborah Bigeleisen  

I am awed by flowers - their mystery, their complexity, their energy and their beauty. They have been the cornerstone of my creative inspiration since childhood. Echoing the personal philosophy of Rembrandt who “loved what he painted and only painted what he loved," I immerse myself totally into my subject. With my vision rooted in the principles of fractals, I take the viewer on an almost voyeuristic journey into depths beyond what the naked eye can see.

Whether creating evocative representational images or boldly deceptive non-objective forms my focus is always on the interplay of the elements: the choreography of the movement, the organization of the space, the subtlety in the tonal transitions, and the intricacy of the brushwork. My technique is rooted in the labor-intensive practices of the Dutch master painters applying upwards of 20 layered transparencies to create richly saturated darks and vibrant luminous highlights that appear to dance off the surface. I get absorbed in the process. For me, there are no short cuts, I cannot compromise my soul. Just as I continually push my imagination and emotions with different series, I look to do the same with the viewer as they are drawn into the multitude of complexities.

I work exclusively from my own photographs amassed from my travels to botanical gardens throughout North America, and even the Rose Hill Cemetery in Los Angeles. Excerpting a quote from art journalist, Stacey Marcus, “Deborah widens the lens of reality to a world beyond one's own imagination. The vision is hers; the joy belongs to the viewer."