Meditative. Dreamy. Mesmerizing. These are some of the words that collectors use to describe Deborah Younglao’s abstract paintings. Inspired by her love of nature, cryptic patterns and forms in her paintings wait to be discovered. They invite you into a tranquil space where you are free to leave reality for a while and lose yourself in the stories you find in them.

Although her formal education was in Science (she holds an MS in Marine Biology from McGill University), Deborah’s creative side led her to realize that her fascination with nature was aesthetic rather than strictly scientific.

As an artist, Deborah is mostly self-taught. She has worked in several media, most recently in the fiber arts of wet felting and silk painting. An accomplished silk painter for many years - she achieved Master Silk Painter status from Silk Painters International.  She has transitioned from a representational artist into an intuitive abstract expressionist, preferring to paint from the heart. Her paints of choice are fluid acrylics, and she loves watching colors, shapes and lines come to life on her canvas. The scientist in her is forever experimenting with new techniques and materials… fearlessly answering the question, “What would happen if…?”

In addition to her native Caribbean island of Trinidad, Deborah has lived in Barbados, Ireland, Canada and 4 states in the US, including her current home of Cary, North Carolina. Her work can be found in private collections across the US and Caribbean.

  “I have always been fascinated by the movement of colors across a surface, forming new colors and shapes as they go. For the most part, I have no plan in mind for the outcome of the painting, other than the colors that inspire me in that moment. The vibrant colors of my native Caribbean – especially the ocean – and images of the wild lushness of tropical vegetation, float before me as I paint.

I love that creating with fluid paints is such an interactive process - it’s a dance between the artist and the paint, as I tilt the canvas and make the colors spread. We often change who’s in the lead! I’m excited by the developing spontaneous organic textures and shapes that take on a life of their own. 

Fingers, palette knives, other tools, and air blown onto the wet paint help me nudge the painting in the direction I want it to go, but I have to be open to letting the painting speak for itself. While the first layer is still wet, I repeat this process several times, to create a multilayered painting that reveals glimpses of each layer. When all is dry, I further develop the painting with brushes and paint markers.

As a way of expressing my concern for the environment, my paintings often incorporate discarded materials that may have ended up in the ocean. Some of the objects layered in my paint include plastic mesh bags, shredded paper, yarn ends, and paint scraps from my work table.

The unpredictability of my process requires my naturally over-analytical mind to take a break and literally go with the flow – which I find very freeing. The painting process is a meditation for me - I completely lose all sense of time and self. Even though I imbue my own thoughts and feelings into each painting, my intention is to take my viewers on their own inner journey, as their imagination and emotion fills in the details of the story.”