Flowers – a language of love, passion, and admiration; a medium to express what is in one’s heart when a message is not deemed expressible aloud.
For centuries, flowers have helped people share incomprehensible and inexpressible feelings. Even today, these complex yet beautiful artistic pieces of nature are loved and admired by all. From helping people grieve to adding to one’s happiness and joy, these gorgeous plants convey meanings that words often cannot express. Just as a gardenia suggests purity, gentleness, and a secret love between two people, or a sunflower symbolizes long life, good fortune, and vitality, every flower has a deep-rooted meaning that resonates with the world’s reality.
Only a few thoughtful writers and artists realize the power of flowers and how they can convey deep meanings. Among these mindful individuals is an artist who has unleashed a flower’s true power through her defining paintings. Deborah Feinstein Bigeleisen, a painter who is awed by flowers – their mystery, complexity, and beauty – is making the world rethink the power of both art and flowers. From her signature ‘Magical Realism’ series to her hyper-realist Contemporary Masters series, Deborah brings a unique vision to the floral genre to embrace a contemporary world. Her paintings have earned her a prominent place in the world of fine art, as stated in the Palm Desert Review.
“My soul is one with the flower…”
These are the words of Deborah Feinstein Bigeleisen, an artist born in New York and raised in Los Angeles. As per Deborah, her childhood was lonely. Being an introvert, she created her own world of wonders, found her escape in art, and gravitated towards flowers. It was an emotional outlet that brought her comfort, solace, and inner peace.
Little did she know that something she loved would impact both of her careers and her life!
In high school, Deborah was fortunate to fall under the guidance of an excellent art teacher who opened the possibilities of a career in the commercial arts. With that motivation, she gravitated to textile design because she loved the idea of working with pattern, color, texture, and fabric. Deborah went on to attend college at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. There she learned that flowers and nature, which had been the center of her art pieces since her childhood, were actually a dominant subject for both the apparel and home furnishings industries.
This is where Deborah Feinstein Bigeleisen transitioned from an introverted LA girl to a fearless and risk-taking woman in business and in her painting career.
After graduating from Fashion Institute of Technology, Deborah’s exceptional skills were recognized early. Only one and half years out of school, she was hired as creative director for a major textile firm, replacing a 15-year veteran. After working as a stylist for eight years she took another leap forward in opening her own global print design studio. Deborah was a pioneer in offering European print design houses full-time sales representation in the United States. In addition, she established her own private label collection with an emphasis on floral print designs. Under her chairmanship, the company became a leading force in the industry and was known as the ‘go-to’ resource for floral print designs in Manhattan and Los Angeles. Deborah served as the company’s chairman and creative director for 18 years. Citing that “the business” was not fun anymore she sold the company in 1998 and relocated to South Florida.
Not having had a formal fine art education, Deborah was anxious to take up painting as a hobby, working in disciplines outside of textile design. Her talent was cultivated through local art classes and master artists workshops. She credits technical master Sam Perry, whom she studied with for five years, for introducing her to the painting practices of the Dutch master artists. These techniques became the core of her signature style. She also credits renowned visionary Gordon Parks, who was a good friend, for encouraging her to look beyond the obvious. It was no surprise that Deborah gravitated to flowers as her subject. She said, “they were in her DNA.” She explored different painting styles from impressionism to realism, and genres from still life to ‘portraits’ of a single image. Deborah found it deeply satisfying to capture the essence of a flower’s character from a very realistic perspective. At this point, Deborah discovered a voice inside that she never knew she possessed.
After only two short years, Deborah found representation by a fine established gallery in Boca Raton in Florida. At the request of the gallery owner, she was asked if she could create a series of paintings of white roses. Little did anyone know this would be the catalyst to launch her career. Those first three paintings sold within ten days of being delivered to the gallery. Deborah states “White is the energy that has flowed from inside me throughout my career. White is a positive color. It emits light and illumination. White also suggests goodness and spirituality. White reflects how I feel about my life and my outlook on the future.”
At the urging of another mentor, Deborah went on to paint over 60 variations of illuminated white roses to establish an identity to her work. Deborah continued to push her creative boundaries. Her move into painting bigger canvases, 50” x 50” and 40” x 72,” led to the establishment of her signature ‘Magical Realism’ series. No longer painting ‘portraits’ of flowers, she delved more deeply into the complexity of a single image of a flower with close-up views that exploded off the edges of the canvas. A serendipitous comment made by a good friend who was a neuroscientist cited that these macro views reminded him of fractals. This casual mentioning led her to an intensive study of the subject, and of Chaos Theory of which fractals are a component. Deborah credits this discovery for transforming her vision and changing the direction and energy of her work. She states that “fractals take the viewer to depths beyond what the naked eye can see, to the point of pure abstraction.” Never having considered herself an abstract thinker, this was a major turning point. To this day, Deborah continues to push her artistic boundaries and feed her spirit, realizing success with each new challenge, each new series.
Deborah’s work has been represented by fine art galleries across the United States in locations including Aspen, CO; San Francisco, CA; Naples, FL; Washington, DC; Palm Beach, FL; Southampton, NY; and New York City. Her paintings have been prominently featured in international contemporary and fine art fairs. Her work has been widely published in journals and art books ranging from Science Creative Quarterly to Michael K. Corbin’s trilogy ‘A Collector’s Journal,’ to New Art International and Studio Visit. Her paintings have graced the covers and inside pages of international interior design publications including Florida Design, Miami Home & Décor, Art and Antiques, LUXE Magazine, and Architectural Digest. Deborah’s work enhances corporate and private collections world-wide. Among the corporate collections are American Airlines, Beauté Therapies Inc., Embraer Air, The Koury Corp., LBC Design & Construction, and Superior Florals to name just a few.
Jewish University in Los Angeles, the Florida Museum for Women Artists, and the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center in Brooklyn, NY. Having achieved this level of recognition in a comparatively short time gives acclaim to her craftsmanship, her extraordinary talent, and the measure of her work. Deborah’s paintings have often been aligned with Georgia O’Keeffe (1887 – 1986) because both artists are identified with painting flowers. That is the only similarity; their vision and techniques differ widely. O’Keeffe is the only female artist to have had a painting sell for $44M (in 2014); that record still holds today for a female artist, living or deceased. As the floral genre has been the focus of Deborah’s work for most of her career, she says she would love to be the 21st Century O’Keeffe and hit a milestone sales record in her lifetime.
