Felicity Waterford

What do you paint?

Abstract primarily.

Abstract what?

Emotions, places I've experienced. I prefer paintings that are textural, that you can touch� and so I use impasto and collage with pieces I find lying about.

Maelstrom

Is there any particular kind of object that attracts you?

Yes. I love to incorporate nature� the softness of feathers, the beauty of leaves, the power in stones, the roughness of wood. I've also used old wire that was used in a fence post. I tend to collect things from around the property when I visit my family in Lightning Ridge. I also love the patina of gold and incorporating text into the work in some way. It's often the last thing I do when I complete the painting - add the text� I write poetry or use images to evoke what the painting is about for me.

Why did you start creating art?

To try to capture moments in my life; the feeling of watching the sunrise at Easter on a chilly morning; the smell of a jacaranda in full bloom wafting through the house, the smell of earth after rain, the beauty of a single leaf that's fallen from a tree� I love the simplicity of images and they're sometimes not appreciated in their raw form so I started to pull them together. Because I like paintings you can touch and feel, I usually don't put glass on my paintings - I want them be tactile so that the breeze can move the feather, the wood can age and the stones can be rubbed.

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How do you work?

I prefer to work alone. I work very quickly and like to work on a few pieces at once while I feel inspired!

What are your early influences?

I grew up on a property so my family and the outback were an enormous influence. Having no TV as I grew up, I spent a lot of my time doing all sorts of creative things. My family are all quite talented in the creative fields - painting, sculpting, writing. I remember re-creating old masters, we always had art books in the house, painted murals on the walls. I loved exploring what you could create from a bit of paint. Mostly I just created gifts for friends and family - it's a very personal gift and I could create something meaningful for that person.

When Will He Come Home

Do you have any vision for the role of art in your life?

I want to create art that gives people an experience of their own� and for me? I want to capture more rainbows, dance with bliss and create art passionately!

Email Felicity or call on +61 (0) 402 35 11 55