As we know (especially if you’ve read my monthly roundups), pastel can be applied in soooo many ways. One of these methods is applying pastel in a more linear way. And one of the artists I greatly admire who uses this style is Felicity House. I’ve featured her work in previous roundups – Nov 2015 and Feb 2018 – and was eager to have her as a guest blogger. So I’m delighted to introduce you to Felicity House!
Don’t know her work? Here’s a teaser!
Felicity House Bio
Following a career in Education, Felicity House worked as an illustrator, and as a tutor of life drawing and art courses for adults. Such flexibility gave her the opportunity to paint for herself and to travel and fill numerous sketchbooks. Felicity discovered the versatility and immediacy of pastels. In 2003, she was elected a member of The Pastel Society.
She teaches occasional workshops for The Pastel Society and exhibits in their Annual Exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London. Felicity holds an Exhibition & Open Studio at her home during the biennial Dorset Art Weeks and exhibits regularly in the Royal West of England Annual Exhibition in Bristol, and in London at the Discerning Eye and New English Art Club Exhibitions. You can find out more on her website.
Now here’s Felicity House!!
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I‘ve always been a draw-er, wielding a pencil to enclose mind shapes (i.e. imaginative drawings) was what I loved, endlessly creating visual narratives on book end papers, and until discovered – on the wall behind my bedroom curtains.
I loved art at school – painting and making. Post-war the expressive arts were given big chunks of classroom time …and I was encouraged. I enjoyed looking at pictures …book illustrations and paintings. But art school wasn’t my career route and I trained to become a primary school teacher which really took up my life! Later when my own children were growing up I signed up for some evening classes and got hooked on drawing and painting again.
I may not have been to art school but from then on managed my own art training on the hoof …accessing classes where I could. Pre www., I wrote to artists who I admired to find out where they were teaching and then signed up for their classes to learn from them.
One short course I attended on watercolour was with the artist Barry Watkin in Somerset. I noticed his pastel paintings hanging on the walls and these made me look twice as they were coloured drawings but had crossed the drawing boundary into the realms of being paintings.
I was intrigued ….I wanted to make these coloured drawings. I got myself some pastel kit and also began attending life drawing classes. I’ve been smitten with both pastels and figure drawing ever since.
In using soft pastels I always liked it that you held the colour in your hand. No brushes to get between you and the surface. Pastel was both the drawing tool and the means of making colour and tone …the mark making possibilities were as versatile as a pencil. By pressing hard or light, by soft layering of gentle strokes of colour, you could create instantly in a fresh and vibrant way or you could be subtle and build up colour gradually.
Pastel was so immediate and quick. Being a full-time school teacher and mum that was a good thing as free time for art was limited. So I took to pastels and in time boldly entered for the Pastel Society Annual Exhibition in London and had a small drawing of radishes accepted which was encouraging.
Every now and then I took a day course run by Pastel Society members …Victor Ambrus, Claire Spencer, John Tookey, Patrick Cullen, Moira Huntly, John Blockley, Tom Coates. How fortunate to be taught by such inspiring artists. I always took on board what these artists generously shared and my own practice gradually emerged. It was a synthesis of what worked for me.
All these artists valued sound drawing and I persisted with improving my drawing skills and would make a 15-minute drawing every day before going off to a day of school teaching. That and regular life drawing classes meant I developed a fluency which enabled me to observe accurately but deliver spontaneously.
At that time I was fortunate to be part of a group of friends that met each year to have a week of figure painting with fabulous models. Also, when I left school teaching, I went once a week for several terms to the Royal Drawing School in Shoreditch London. My favourite course was ‘The Clothed Figure‘ with tutor Susan Wilson.
So in my own way, I had an intensive, if piecemeal, art training from tutors who I admired and learned from, and worked amongst others who were equally enthusiastic about drawing and painting. Sound drawing has always stood me in good stead; the understanding of tonal values developed gradually over time.
I work with pastels directly from a variety of subjects and edit intuitively. If you only have limited time to respond, you focus and concentrate on what interests you most. The selection becomes intuitive and perhaps is what makes your artwork particular to you.
There is nothing like the urgency of knowing you have to leave a location in a short while or a model being due to finish posing, to trigger those well observed but energetically delivered marks.
My Working Method and Materials
I underpaint tonally with a neutral watercolour to plot things in and establish any strong darks. This also conserves the tooth of the paper rather than filling it with too many layers of pastel. Of course, it’s a totally moveable under-structure and may shift once the pastel starts. I begin with gentle strokes of colour gradually building up and I regularly return to correct the drawing – perhaps with a pastel pencil. I’m quite graphic – I like lines.
As to materials, with paper I’ve tried many but always return to Colourfix by Art Spectrum which is card, screen-printed with a mix of acrylic + pumice so it takes an underpainting. It comes in terrific colours. My favourites are soft umber, australian grey, and blue haze. I like Colourfix paper because the texture is there but it’s not coarse, and lines work on it.
I use various brands of pastels: Unison Colour, Daler Rowney, Rembrandt, Schmincke, Sennelier. I also use pastel pencils: Carbothello, Caran D’ache, and Pitt Pastel pencils.
Since leaving full-time school teaching where one taught all subjects on the curriculum, I’ve taught Life Drawing classes at the Arts University in Bournemouth and short art courses at West Dean College, near Chichester in Sussex. I enjoyed this teaching of art and my school teaching experience helped me think hard about the learning that would take place in each session and the sound processes involved in getting there.
Such was the flexibility of teaching short art courses rather than a full-time school curriculum that it fortuitously gave me the opportunity to travel to paint and fill numerous sketchbooks.
My Current Inspirations
In recent years I’ve been able to travel to some amazing locations with painting specifically in mind: France, Italy, Portugal, and India. I love seeing new places with a fresh eye and allocating time to paint away from the distractions of domesticity has always been a real treat. The spillage of work from these trips has been great.
I’ve refined a neat kit for travelling and working with pastels on the hoof.
Back at home, I take the opportunity of working on complex interior scenes when I can – always other peoples – so I have to finish at the ‘end of day ‘. There is a fascination about the arrangements of furniture and collected objects that belong to others. I enjoy the challenge of relating one item to another and absorbing the sense of place.
Wet days and winter months might mean a still life set up in the studio: I enjoy making arrangements with meaningful objects I’ve collected – together with patterned fabrics –and thinking about shapes, colour harmonies, and contrasts.
Food subjects are another favourite. As a keen cook who makes marmalade each January I always work on a pastel version of making marmalade with the ingredients and jars and the wonderful Seville oranges which brighten a winter’s day.
I wrote down a recipe from the cookbook, The Bangala Table, compiled by The Bangala, a hotel famous for authentic local food, where we stayed in Chettinad, Tamil Nadu, India. The chutney was absolutely delicious and the ingredients made a wonderful picture in my mind so on my return home I gathered the ingredients together – visiting an Indian shop for the special spices, curry leaves and ripe mangoes. They’re arranged on a piece of Indian hand-dyed cloth. Good memories of great Indian flavours.
The vegetable paintings are always spontaneous …. things I’ve bought that I can see need painting however swiftly. So many lovely things to paint.
Fish are lovely to paint and then cook for supper. I always enjoy responding to their beautiful shapes and colours. If the working might take a few hours I place them on a plate over a dish of ice.
Last year I was fortunate to spend time on location responding to the walled gardens at West Dean in Sussex.
Currently responding to this combination of subject matter works for me – the occasional travel opportunity, still life and interiors, and the pleasure of working in beautiful gardens.
And of course returning regularly to the important discipline and ultimate challenge of figures and portraits.
When the weather is good I paint on location. I go to life class and draw from the figure regularly. If the weather’s awful I might set up a still life in my studio.
My recent open studio meant I probably didn’t work for three months with all the preparation etc. I get lots of work done when I’m away from home. Same as most people, we all have to do chores, admin, and domestic stuff. So doing the artwork has to fit in.
I work from life. I honestly believe looking, noticing, selecting, and responding are what making art is all about, and why not learn by making drawings and paintings from the wonderful things there are about us.
Perhaps people want instant everything these days and are not prepared to put in the donkey working hours needed to learn and improve. I’m sad about that as working from photos just isn’t the same as being present.
I need and like to be present, to absorb everything in the time I’ve got – an inhalation and then a spillage from the head, hand, and heart.
I do enjoy taking photographs but for me, that’s a different art form altogether. Perhaps I’ll make use of reference photos in the future but I’m not rushing.
If I want to develop ideas or make further paintings later in the studio then I’ve plenty of sketchbooks full of drawings and fast paintings made firsthand to work from.
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In awe. That’s me.
What about you? What are your thoughts and feelings after seeing this work by Felicity House? We would LOVE to hear from you. So please leave a comment.
Also, do feel free to ask Felicity House any questions you may have.
Until next time!
~ Gail
Here is the recipe book Felicity House mentions above:
95 thoughts on “Felicity House – A Spillage From Head, Hand, And Heart”
What a way to close out the day! The work by Felicity is stunning with such a range. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to savor and be inspired by her work. Got the “juices” flowing!!
Oh I DO love hearing that Bonnie!
Just makes my heart sing.
Her work is that of a true artist,so heartfelt and inspiring.I have followed her for a number of years but lovely seeing all that work together along with the blog…Big thankyou Gail.
Gwendolin Lewis
Ahhh Gwendolin, a woman after my own heart. Yes yes yes!!
And you are so welcome. It is my honour to showcase Felicity’s work!
Hi Felicity…I enjoyed the variety of your work with various styles and I think your set up for working outside is especially good. What is the pole called that holds up your drawing board? Is there a special name for it or is it something you created?
Thanks.
Sheryl
Thanks for your comment Sheryl! I’ll ask Felicity to answer your question.
Thank you so much Sheryl , so glad you enjoyed the article.
The easel equipment is from Frank Herring & Sons a nice old fashioned family firm in UK quite near me in Dorset.
The main easel is called the Herring Versatile Easel + Metal Tray for Versatile
then the travelling one is called the Herring Stick Easel
…. when it’s best to sit out of the way or in a boat, then that Stick Easel is the best thing!
Wow is right! This was wonderful and Felicity was so generous in her descriptions and sharing her thoughts on her work. There is so much life and emotion in her work! They are absolutely delightful and this was so inspiring to read. Thank you!
So glad you found Felicity’s post inspiring Helen. And I agree about the life and emotion. You feel like you’re there don’t you? I could hardly wait to publish it!
Just lovely! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it Marla. It was a pleasure to share 🙂
What a treat, beautiful colours and line. Fish, walled garden and lavender probably favourites but so many more delights. Seeing the few colours in those tins to choose from to get such satisfying results is awesome. Elipse on top of celery jar a bit distracting. Thank you for sharing such a joy.
Thanks for sharing your favs Jennifer! And yes, seeing those few colours does go to show what can be created with a limited palette!
I adore these stories.. gives one hope !
That made me smile Adrianne!!
This was a wonderful article by Felicity Post. Her introduction to pastels, her learning journey and the stunning examples of her work made it a sheer pleasure to read. Thank you for posting this, Gail.
Bev I am so glad you found such enjoyment reading this guest post by Felicity House!!
The main thing that interested me was the quality of drawing that remains on view, integrated with the softer pastel….it gives the pictures a delightful casual, sketchy feel….but they are of course beautifully observed and totally complete in themselves. That one of Mudeford Quay….being in England, I know it well, and it really is just like that on a windy day! I did catch on to one of her statements in particular…”observed accurately and delivered spontaneously”….now there’s a real challenge, to not record every last detail! Please thank Felicity for mentioning that tray with a Frank Herring easel…I have the easel but didn’t know you could get a tray for it! Lots of wonderful work, thank you for sharing.
Yes Chris! You describe her work beautifully. And thank you for bringing that phrase to our attention as it also describes Felicity’s method so well. As you say, a challenge for us all 🙂
Love too that you shared your own experience of Mudeford Quay.
OH MY GRACIOUS GOD!! I just sign in this morning and looked at this email first (as I usually do!) and this truly is the first artist that so completely overwhelmed me! I just kept scrolling thru to see the next one. Tonite I’m gonna go back and read it all and study the paintings more….probably have more questions then.
So unique, so different, so gorgeous! Thank you thank you thank you for sharing this one!
LOL Charlotte!! And a huge, you’re welcome!! I feel the same way about Felicity House’s work and so you can imagine my joy when she agreed to guest post!!! Delighted you were bowled over. Look forward to questions….
Ditto. Gonna keep it in my email to enjoy when I have more time. Beautiful work. -Lisa
😀 Love hearing that Lisa!!
Breathtaking! I love this combination of drawing and painting – at the same time these paintings make me painfully aware of the fact that I am still at the beginning!
Thank you Gail for introducing so many wonderful painters in your blog, also August’s favourite ten like Jan Munro. It’s always a highlight when I get mail from you! 😀
Gabriela yes, I too love that combination of drawing and painting – using the pastel to it’s fullest potential! And yes, I know what you mean about feeling like you are the beginning!
So happy to hear my emails are a highlight. Always GREAT motivation for me!
Gabriela yes, I too love that combination of drawing and painting – using the pastel to its fullest potential! And yes, I know what you mean about feeling like you are the beginning!
So happy to hear my emails are a highlight. Always GREAT motivation for me!
Lovely work, Felicity! I really enjoy your figures and still lifes and plein air pieces. So inspiring! Thanks for featuring her on your blog, Gail. Such hard working artists make me want to run back to my own easel and paint. Good stuff.
Yay Marie!! Especially the part about running to your own easel to start painting! We all need this kind of inspiration once in a while to get us back to our creating.
Thank you Marie, that’s appreciated. We all need inspiration, I guess my subject matter is a realistic choice for many. Keep on with the pastels!
I am one of many fans of Felicity’s work and I am delighted to have this wonderful insight into her method and training. I will treasure this, as I do my own FH original painting, bought earlier in the summer.
I’m so glad Felicity’s post enlarged your enjoyment of her work Paula. And lucky you to have an original – I’m working on being in that position myself!! Self-reward lol!
A great article Felicity. Our lives have travelled similar paths. Mine perhaps not as grand!
So glad you enjoyed the article Mary. And how interesting that your own journey has been similar to Felicity’s.
Dear Felicity, thank you for sharing your wonderful work in this blog. I am currently struggling to find the way I want to use pastel (the style of mark making and control) and I find your vibrant and dynamic approach really engaging. I always end up putting too much pastel on the paper, and while I had played a little with watercolour underpainting I must admit to not being sure how to make it useful. Again, your tips and examples have shown me a way forward. Thanks again, and I love the way you name and describe your paintings … your blog made me smile 😄👍❤️
Kerrie, it warms my heart to hear that Felicity’s work and words have helped you find a path forward in your own work. That is my reward. I’m sure Felicity will will feel similarly when she reads your comment.
Felicity’s generous nature and depth of commitment make me grateful to have had the opportunity to read about her in this article.
Many thanks to both of you!
Thanks Susan!! It was such a treat to have Felicity House as a guest on HowToPastel and I feel rewarded by the enthusiasm of comments such as yours!
Oh my. I have spent quite awhile longer than I usually do with this blog. Her work has such a freshness and captures so much with such spare strokes. I will look again and again. I’m wondering how can someone learn that? My own art journey has been similar with lots of workshops, but probably more of a hodgepodge of styles and genre so I’ve struggled with finding my own vision. I admire the linear aspects as I love to draw as well which is why I work with pastels— hate brushes. Love the immediacy of color. Such a beautiful body of work which should be put into a book sometime so we could admire again.
Thank you, Gail, for your ongoing searches for such inspiration and the variety you find which can touch the hearts of our pastel world.
Sally love your idea of a book and hope Felicity will act upon that idea one day – I know she’d have a lot of purchasers! In the meantime, we have this wonderful guest blog.
I understand your struggle with finding your own vision and way of expressing it. So much of that develops from doing the work day in and day out. Be inspired, experiment, and put pastel to paper. Since you enjoy the linear quality of pastel and since you connect so much with Felicity’s work, why not focus on incorporating more of that linear quality in your work? Also, if you don’t already, try working from life! You see more of what’s there and express more spontaneously when you work this way.
Thanks for commenting 🙂
I am familiar with the Felicity House’s work but the breadth shown here is amazing. I particularly love the interiors and the cooking scenes, close to my own heart. And a cookbook recommendation, too! A wonderful and wide-ranging post, thank you; makes me think I really should give Colorfix another try!
Yes, the breadth!! I had the most difficult time choosing pieces for this post and really, I gave up very few! I admire and find such pleasure in Felicity’s work that I wanted to create a storehouse of them together with her words here on HowToPastel.
Like you Jane, I’m now considering giving Colourfix another try….
This post was most inspiring! I was not familiar with Felicity House’s work but will be a follower from now on. It was wonderful to learn about her process and thoughts about working from life as well as her belief in the importance of a good base in drawing skills. Thank you Gail for inviting her to be a guest blogger. I will print this and refer to it often, I’m sure.
Susan, LOVE that I’ve been able to introduce you to the work of Felicity House! I’m so pleased to have her as a guest blogger and to have this opportunity to share her vision both in image and words.
Thanks for sharing these beautiful paintings! I’m inspired by the linear quality of these pieces, something I’m very drawn to.
Like you Laurie, I too am drawn to the linear quality of Felicity’s work. Marvellous!
Wonderful!! What a unique style Felicity has. Her paintings are done so loosely and yet very detailed in many of them. Another inspiring artist!! Thanks Gail!
You are welcome Ruth! And yes, you’re right about Felicity House’s style – I think I could recognise it anywhere! It’s a great combo, as you say, of loose and detail. Such observation and then expressing it in such a fresh, spontaneous way!
Beautiful work.
Thank you so much Gail for doing this.
You are inspiring – with your work, energy and enthusiasm.
Your blog is something I always look forward to – in depth coverage and comment.
David thank you so much for your kind comment! Such appreciation nourishes me and keeps me going 😀
Felicity’s paintings were a wonderful inspiration! Thank you so much for posting this article and her work.
I’m so glad you enjoyed seeing Felicity’s work Celeste!
Love her work, specially the use of subtle colors. Her figurative work is spectacular. Gail, thanks for sharing her work with us.
I agree, Grace, with your thoughts about Felicity’s figurative work. It makes me want to go to life drawing more often!!
I really love the honesty, spontaneity, and varied subject matter of Felicity House’s art! The combination of painting and drawing in her paintings brings to mind the experience that many have when viewing sketches or “unfinished” works at a museum and the enjoyment at seeing the “hand of the artist”. Felicity House allows the viewer to experience both in her work! Wonderful post!
Mary, love your comment and your relating Felicity’s work to sketches and unfinished work in museums. Those ‘hand of the artist’ pieces are always my favourites! (In fact, if I had gone on with my academic studies, that would have been my field of research.) And like you, I delight in the way Felicity combines painting and drawing with such immediacy.
I really like Felicity’s ability to catch the sense of place and atmosphere. She is right on about being able to draw and how important that is to any painter. I recently saw a movie about Van Gogh and how he was obsessed with getting the perspective correct. He had to teach himself how to draw and worked at it his whole “short” life.
You got that right Betty, about Felicity House’s ability to capture a sense of place in her work!
Thank you too for your reference to Van Gogh and his drawing experience.
Your illustrative skills are so evident here. Leaving sketch lines and the watercolor underpainting make your work unique. I have experimented with PH. Martin inks for underpainting but they are very strong colors. For more delicate work, it looks like I should break out the watercolors again. Many thanks for this very comprehensive post.
Love that you remind us to look more closely at how Felicity House uses watercolour underpaintings, with a subtlety that is seen and yet unseen in the final piece. Look forward to seeing your experimentations with watercolour Andrea!
How inspirational!! Love all the lines. But I’m confused. Does Felicity do the charcoal drawing first and let the lines show through the pastel? Or does she do the pastel and add the lines at the end? If the lines are charcoal I would think they would smear if done first. Love the looseness of her paintings! Thank you for taking the time to share.
Thanks for the great question Tami! I’ll leave it for Felicity to answer directly.
Tami – thanks for your question. There are one or two works in that collection where I’ve used a charcoal pencil first then touches of pastel colour (as with the child reading) but I’d say mostly I start with broad strokes of pastel colour and build up, then I might check the drawing and correct it, possibly with charcoal pencil but more often a pastel pencil – see the tap on the Greenhouse Nerines.
So thrilled to read this! I’ve been an avid follower of hers for years. Delicious!
So have I Catherine and so as you can imagine, over the moon to have Felicity as a guest blogger!!!
Wonderful article, stunning work! A real pleasure to read and enjoy the immediacy of the images.
So happy you enjoyed it Sonia!! “Immediacy” is a perfect word to describe Felicity’s work!
Gorgeous works, I really like her style, particularly what someone else referred to as the “sketchy” feel. I tend to think I ought to reproduce scenes/items in meticulously rendered detail (getting really bogged down as a result and ending – if I finish it at all – with a laboriously created and essentially dull end piece) but I can see here that that’s not required in order to produce a finished item which is both true and oozing with life. An inspirational blog as ever.
Jan, I think so many of us have the tendency you describe, especially if we work from photos. Working from life does bring an urgency that helps keep work fresh. Thank you so much for sharing your own artistic frustrations with us with such honesty. Love your words – “oozing with life!”
OMG! I’m in love with line all over again! This encourages me to pursue that which is more natural to me: the lines of sketching mixed with a hint of color. Thank you, Felicity. I’ll be watching you more closely.
LOL Amy!! I think of your work as essentially linear – so part of your style. So it’s interesting (and curious) that you would need encouragement to do more of what I see IS your way of working. Happy that you found support and inspiration in Felicity’s work 🙂
Love, love, love! Love the combination of line and color. Just beautiful and so inspiring! Thank you.
Thanks for your enthusiastic response Nevi!!!
Thanks for this presentation of Felicity House’s works. Each painting is a potpourri of lines, marks and colors that come together to delight the eye. In some of interiors I couldn’t leave the painting for a while as I wanted to see everything in the scene.
The watercolor underpaintings merge so well with the pastels. I am so inspired by these works and love the almost “old world” feel as when the impressionists sketched and painted so many scenes. The colors are wonderful.
My new favorite artist.
Sandi I so know what you mean, especially about the interiors. One just wants to sit and absorb every line, every object, every feeling. LOVE that Felicity House is now your new favourite artist 😀
Well you are 1st Gail! 😁
Awwwww Sandi – THANKS 😀
Stunning and deceptively simple! They look like sketched pastel pieces without much thinking, yet once you look closely you notice how complex they are. I love how, in many of them, she makes at least one color go zing! You’re automatically drawn to it and go from there to notice everything else, and how it just goes hand in hand with that zing.
I would love to try this style, but I realize I can’t draw well enough to even consider it. Felicity is a masterpiece artist!
Maria thanks for your close observations of Felicity House’s work and noticing that ‘zing’ and what it does for each painting. And yes, ‘deceptively simple’!
Thank you for sharing her incredible work and process with us. I love the underpainting, linear quality and freshness of her pastel strokes. Definitely something to aspire to!
So happy Gill that you are taken with Felicity’s work. All the attributes you mention are certainly inspiration for us all!
Oh My Gosh, I am in awe of the delicate beauty and power of her work. Thank you for sharing.
Yes yes Marsha!! Meeeeee too!
Mary Davis sent me your Blog Felicity. It is absolutely wonderful and very inspiring!
I do a drawing class every week, usually just using charcoal, but maybe I can try experimenting with pastels! I love the work that you did in India especially, maybe because I attempted to paint some of those places myself using gouache. Wonderful, wonderful that you have captured so many places in your travels and that there is so much inspiration for creativity in every day life too. I am also in awe too! Amazing!
Patricia, thanks for your comment (and a thank you to Mary too for sharing this post with you)! Love that you go to a drawing class every day. How exciting that you are thinking of adding pastels to your drawing tools! Do let us know how that goes.
And love hearing about your own paintings in gouache while travelling!
What a WOW blog! Felicity, your work is enchanting! I love the paintings that have very subtle color except for a few vibrant splashes. The line work is delightful. Thank you Gail for posting this, and thank you, Felicity, for sharing such an amazing variety of subjects and styles.
Oh yeah Wendy! I sure agree with all you have said in your descriptions of Felicity’s work!
Such an inspiring post! I really was on the brink of giving up on pastels as a medium, having problems with the way to handle them and always seeming to end up with way too solid pictures. Felicity’s drawings give me new hope, thank you both!
Oh oh oh, Felicity to the rescue!! Martine, I am unhappy to hear you are thinking of giving up pastels but delighted that seeing Felicity’s work has convinced you to give them a second chance. Perhaps trying a more ‘drawing’ method will help. Note all of Felicity’s pastel pencils along with her soft pastels.
Ahh, how wonderful these all are! My impressions have already been captured by the other commenters. The only thing I might add is that the freshness of these paintings (the way they capture the “essence”) reminds me of Japanese paintings (Zen-like?). I, too, love the proliferation of lines, and the somewhat unfinished look that leads to such an impression of freshness. They remind me of a Degas print that I have called Violinist, Seated, Study. I’m not well versed in art history but have always loved this one because it shows the artist’s grid of lines that he was working from. I guess that’s what adds to the feeling of immediacy.
Wonderful selection, Gail, and wonderful presentation, Felicity. I’m just a beginner, and I’m amazed by the spontaneity captured here.
Ruth thanks so much for adding your thoughts. LOVE that piece by Degas and yes, definitely a similarity. Like you, I love seeing the remains of the initial drawing including any grid lines. You can see the hand and process of the artist. Way more intimate than a finished piece! Glad you liked all the selections.
It sure was difficult to choose the images to include and how to arrange them in the post. I did go way overboard….but just couldn’t help myself!! Glad you enjoyed them 🙂
This is a blog I will keep returning to – Like Martine above, I am too heavy-handed with pastels and Felicity’s pictures are effortlessly light and atmospheric. The paintings are inspirational and Felicity’s guidelines really helpful – I so enjoyed the descriptions and helpful advice alongside the paintings.
Thank you!
Great to hear Ginette! I think many of us start off in pastels with a heavy hand. It’s only later that we understand the value of being able to adjust pressure. I’m glad you found Felicity’s post so inspirational and helpful!
LOVE her work (and her black lines)……
Yes!!! There’s something about those lines that makes Felicity’s style her own.
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