Penny Stewart is an artist who has recently won awards from the American Watercolor Society and the National Watercolor Society. Her work has appeared in Watercolor Magazine and Southwest Art Magazine as well as other art publications. Her work can be viewed on the Internet at www.finevisions.com.

ODW: What mediums do you work in?

Stewart: I work almost exclusively in transparent watercolor.

ODW: When you’re creating something, are you exploring ideas you are working out, are you trying to evoke specific emotions or are you thinking about communicating something?

Stewart: Several years ago a friend commented, “Penny, I used to think New Mexico was so ugly until I saw your paintings. You helped me see its beauty.” I thought, “What a wonderful thing to be able to do.” I seek to help my viewer see the beauty of God’s creation, to experience the joy I feel when I paint. I try to create a place where the viewer would want to be.

ODW: Tell us about your process of creation. How do you transform your ideas into one of your paintings?

Stewart: Whether it’s a place I’ve visited in search of a landscape to paint or an inspiring view I’ve happened upon, I photograph a scene from many angles. Then, I lay all the photographs out on a table and study them. I usually cut them up with an X-ACTO knife and reassemble them. In this way, I create my impression of that place and improve the arrangement of the objects in the picture. This photo assemblage is my visual reference for a painting. When I’m painting, I try to infuse my work with emotion, intensity and excitement.

ODW: Do you have moments of inspiration, and where do you think they come from?

Stewart: My greatest moments of inspiration have come at times when I was very frustrated with my work. At those times, I’m more open to new ideas. And I believe those inspirations come from God because they’re so very different from my usual thinking.

ODW: How do you overcome the times when you don’t feel inspired?

Stewart: I make an effort to paint regardless of my mood. Before I begin working each day, I ask God to fill me with His inspiration, to guide my head, heart and hands. But when I’m feeling stale, I reenergize by going to a museum with great art, or I visit a beautiful place, or I may just take a day off.

ODW: Does your art contain recurring themes? What are some of those and are they in a lot of your work intentionally?

Stewart: There’s a unique character of light, a luminescence of color, I see in the land. I love to capture that light. I think of a landscape flooded with sunlight as being full of the light and presence of the Lord. Too, the shapes, colors and patterns in a scene fascinate me. They are expressed very intentionally in my unique painting style.

ODW: Within the Christian community, how do you see the artist’s role?

Stewart: I can speak only for myself. I’ve never tried to paint only for the Christian community. There’s so much ugliness in the world. I want to create beautiful, fresh and unique paintings that can speak to all people. I hope to draw them closer to God through sensing the majesty and glory of His creation.

ODW: How do you think of your art in relation to God, your faith and what you are called to do?

Stewart: In my family, there are no other artists. So I’m acutely aware of my ability as a God-given gift. I’ve learned it’s important to use my gift in a way that honors God and in the way he wants. When I follow his lead, I sense God’s pleasure in my effort. When I ignore him, I struggle.

ODW: How has the Bible inspired your art? Are there particular passages that you are most drawn to, that inspire you or that challenge you to think of your art differently?

Stewart: I’m increasingly awed and thrilled by the splendor and variety of the landscape. Certain Bible verses and hymns come to mind as I paint a scene. The Psalms are particularly inspirational to me.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth”(Psalm 121:1,2).

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,

and let your glory be over all the earth.”(Psalm 108:5)

ODW: Does your faith in God limit what you do in your art somehow?

Stewart: I see my faith enhancing what and how I paint rather than limiting it.

ODW: What is your take on why contemporary Christianity has seemingly moved so far from the arts compared with other forms of Christianity in previous historical periods?

Stewart: Music is still very much a part of contemporary Christianity. But the visual arts were the baby thrown out with the bath water during the Reformation. Many, in the Reformed tradition, still view religious art as idolatry.

ODW: This issue of onedeepwell.com is focused on creation, nature and the way God demonstrated his creativity. Do you have any thoughts on this, or the first few chapters in Genesis?

Stewart: I am awed by God’s creation of so much variety–mountains and valleys, plains and canyons, oceans, rivers and deserts. The vast array of plants and creatures and the special way each was created to function in a unique and perfect way is equally amazing. God instructed man to “Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:28). I think man has gone far beyond “ruling” to harm and destroy much of creation. We could be far better custodians of God’s world.