Artists and Disability: Fiona Stevenson's "Expressions of Experience".

Fiona Stevenson is an abstract painter with Down syndrome who expresses her vision of the world through her artwork. Her vision is vibrant, filled with emotion and passion. While traditional narratives have framed disability as something to overcome, Fiona demonstrates that it is in no way a restriction but frees her from the confines of tradition and society's opinions.

Fiona with her work 'Wolf'.

This past week I have been contemplating how to capture Fiona’s artistry in an article. Fiona’s recorded experience is unique and her own, and yet, when I gaze at her canvases, I feel that her expression is universal. Her paintings, whether large or small scale, infused with vivid colour or monotone, are intimate and emotive. Sophie K. Rosa wrote in her recent book, ‘Radical Intimacy’, that “the intimate sphere is central to our emotional lives, and thus a potent site ripe for transformation”. Upon viewing Fiona’s paintings, we may consider the positive creativity that lies in our intimate emotions and take inspiration from her artistic display of them.

However, I believe the late master printer Kip Gresham, who collaborated with Fiona on a series of prints, conveyed her virtuosity best; “her paintings are expressions of experience rather than a recording of appearance, a suggestion of how things feel rather than simply how they look”.

Fiona began her creative journey with needlework and explored jewellery-making; although, twelve years ago she picked up a brush and began painting. Through the mediums of oils and acrylics, Fiona embraced her personal power by painting her emotional responses to the modern world. While this marked a turning point in her artistic career, it also grew her self-confidence tremendously, something I believe everyone can relate to, that feeling of fulfilment when you’ve found your ‘thing’.

Fiona Stevenson, 'Joy', 2024, acrylic on canvas.

Stevenson’s recent painting, ‘Joy’, features abstract expressionist techniques with green, blue, red, orange, and white paint splattered across a mustard yellow background. She described the painting:

“It’s the burst of happiness I felt when the sun came out after the rain. The red, blue, and green are plants bursting out of the ground to welcome the summer. I painted it quickly to show the energy both in the flower and in my heart”.

The energy of the surge of emotion is captured within each brushstroke. An intensity of layered, haphazard drips of paint swirl around the canvas, a visual evocation of joy. There is an energised eruption that begs the viewer to set their gaze upon the abundance of intimate detail. While almost every viewer can relate to that rush of excitement that accompanies joy, the intimacy of painting is that each mark made is a representation of Fiona’s own experience of joy.

Fiona’s father, Andrew Stevenson commented, “It’s interesting to reflect on whether Fiona’s disability is in fact a disability or a benefit when it comes to creating the powerful mark-making images she produces.”

Fiona chooses an image, colour or thought that holds significance for her. She then builds layers of brushstrokes that visually depict her emotional state when painting. Her diptych ‘Talk Talk’ includes lettering in dry black paint on a grey, blue background. The piece echoes the style of Columbian painter Oscar Murillo, who recently created the installation ‘The Flooded Garden’ in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. Fiona contributed to the public project by adding to the painting that scaled the length of the infamous hall.

Fiona Stevenson, 'Talk Talk', 2019, oil on canvas.

Fiona’s honest expression of her morals and emotions is an inspiration as her vulnerability encourages the viewer to consider their sentiments. Whether they align with the artist’s or not, an awareness of our intimacies may bring us closer to ourselves and others. Through her “expressions of experience,” Fiona encourages interconnectivity that is free from judgement, perhaps a transformation from sites of authority we commonly find ourselves in today.