Born in Falkirk, Mairi Stewart studied Drawing and Painting at Edinburgh College of Art. Following a successful career in teaching, she began a second career as a full time fine art painter. In the years since, Mairi has become an artist member of the Paisley Art Institute. She has work in many private collections in the UK and USA.
Mairi’s work is an infusion of her daily observations and an intuitive response to the memories attached to specific objects. She finds constant inspiration in her surroundings, be it domestic or in nature and enjoys the endless possibilities of balancing colour and shape within her compositions, often using flowers or fruit as visual accents within her work.
Working mainly in acrylics, Mairi’s overall aim is to capture the original essence of a memory within her paintings. Working with this quick drying medium allows Mairi to glaze multiple layers on the surface of the piece, gradually intensifying the colour palette to create simplified shapes and flattened perspectives. Through this vibrant abstraction of her recollections, Mairi allows new sensations to be generated within the composition, inviting the viewer to develop their own narrative.