THE COSMOS WITHIN

My art emerges from intuition and emotion. It is a contemplative practice, one that helps me navigate inner states and give form to the spectral images, dreamscapes and cosmic forces I sense but cannot always articulate.

I create circular forms with fluid materials, such as paint, ink, and dye, that move with a life of their own, requiring surrender, trust, and a responsive approach. I am curious about how the softness and tactility of stitched, bound, or woven textiles interact with liquid media, creating a dialogue between fluidity and structure, intuition and skill.

Planetary rhythms, mystery, and the unseen inspire me, and I hone my craft to express beauty, wonder, and reverence for natural forces. My pieces invite viewers into an emotional space of contemplation, where intimacy with the work serves as a mirror for feelings, subtle perceptions, and the inner landscape of the psyche.

Commissions and Pricing

on canvas

These circular works are created with fluid paints, dyes and inks. Older works are acrylic-based, while newer works are created with natural-pigment paints I hand-mix myself using traditional methods.

Debra Stapleton, untitled, 2025, Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 22 inches

Debra Stapleton, untitled, 2025, Acrylic ink on canvas, 17 x 18 1/2 inches

Debra Stapleton, untitled, 2025, Acrylic ink on canvas, 17 x 19 inches

Debra Stapleton, untitled, 2025, Acrylic ink on canvas, 17 x 18 inches

Debra Stapleton, untitled, 2025, Acrylic ink on canvas, 16 1/2 x 21 inches

Debra Stapleton, untitled, 2025, Acrylic ink on canvas, 14 x 14 inches

Debra Stapleton, untitled, 2025, Acrylic ink on canvas, 18 x 18 inches

Debra Stapleton, untitled, 2024, Watercolour on canvas, 16 x 20 inches

Debra Stapleton, untitled, 2024, Watercolour on canvas board, 8 x 10 inches

textile

Using a similar soft, time-worn, watercolour sensibility as my paintings, these works are created with hand-woven, dyed or paint-stained fabrics, often using cast-away fragments trimmed from my paintings.

devotional

These devotional works are a series I created during a summer art residency in 2025. Titled “The Cosmos Within,” these pieces are meditative, energetic portraits of the seven traditional planetary gods.

on paper

My astrology-inspired art practice found new life originally as watercolours on paper. These smaller works remain a part of my personal art journaling and preparation for larger canvases.

Debra Stapleton, untitled, 2023, Watercolour on paper, 10 x 10 inches

Debra Stapleton, untitled, 2023, Watercolour on paper, 10 x 12 inches

older works

During my years in Art School from 1991-95, I began exploring planetary portraiture, merging my love of abstract work with astrology. I no longer have these pieces; this is simply an archive.