Beverley Jane Stewart

Beverley Jane Stewart
| ART | LOVE | JEWISH HERITAGE

I am a Diaspora Jew.
I have always aimed to achieve a meaningful balance between my secular life and my religion.
Being Jewish has always mattered to me, for it gave me a sense of belonging and purpose. The weekly attendance at my local synagogue through prayer, festivals, and customs helped me to identify with Judaism. My initial interest was focused on the synagogue architecture as a prayer hall, but as a female artist, my perception was directed from a high perspective.
This familiar angle was developed from the many years I sat with my mother in the ladies’ gallery. Towering above, I watched the beauty of the panoramic scenes below. Surrounded by a backdrop of architectural splendor, the male-dominated services created a spiritual euphoria of drama with movement, color, and light.

Through exploring the theme of public and private space within Judaism, the synagogue, and the secular surroundings – I evolved and developed into a visual writer, illustrating the story of Jewish social history.

It shows how Jews have kept their identity whilst contributing to the secular world, supporting financial markets, trades, politics, and arts.
I became aware of the political pressures and the relationship Jews had with the indigenous community, their acceptance, or rejection.
I’m fascinated by the intricate detail in my work, showing how Jewish heritage operates in a contemporary multi-cultural society, fusing facts with emotions and showing life as a roller coaster in time.

I use drawing and sketching as a baseline to show my ideas and compositions before starting each painting, they are on their own a journey of research. In recent years, alongside the oil painting, I have begun to incorporate new materials such as Plexiglas and engraving on plywood.

Read the full article on Art Market Magazine Issue #50