Felice
In the year 2000, after years of working in the field of applied art and as an art producer, Felice started painting again. She painted a row of veiled woman, with reference to the invasion in Afghanistan. Series of portraits (gagged people), erotic paintings (young woman) followed and she experimented a lot with painting on metal gold.
Felice hired a house for a month in 2005 on the beautiful island Bali/Indonesia, to paint there. She got inspired by the bright light and the beautiful nature. A row of seven paintings were made there, which were finished in her studio in Amsterdam. She is interested in expressing live themes, which are imagined in organic forms.
In the summer of 2006 Felice left for Finland to stay in an artist-in-residence program in the Art Centre Saksala. A beautiful quiet spot in the middle of lakes and forests founded by the painter, Marja the Jong. The northern light influenced the choices of colours and in a philosophical way the subjects of the four paintings, which she started there and finished in her studio in Amsterdam.
Felice:" I make paintings which are balancing on the edge of abstract and figurative. The imaginations which I call up are experienced as erotic. I try to express my feelings, looking at nature in all its vulnerability and its power. If you go under the skin of Creation, you will find a lot of similarities with mankind and struggle to survive".
The Culture House Babayan in Turkey was the next place for an artist-in-residence program in 2007. Babayan is a little village in the middle of the beautiful mountains of Cappadocië. The Culture House is build in and around a number of old caves. Living and working in one of the quiet caves, combined with the culture of Turkey, the history of the inhabitants, the political atmosphere and the impressing surroundings her work got an another impulse. Six paintings were made there, inspired on the different forms of the mystic landscape of Cappadocië and in the colours of the landscape: white's, yellow and many shades of brown. The two owners: Willemijn and Paul, themselves artists, run the Culture House in an inspiring manner and they gave a lot of tips and support. Her work was exhibited at the Modern Art Festival and at the gallery Sultan Carpet in Goreme, Turkey.
Felice: "more and more I realise that this way of working in a quiet place in the middle of nature, together with other artists, does help to improve and develop my work. Being away from the daily live in the Netherlands, living in another culture with people around you with the same intensions, inspires to make new work. Also dining and discussing together in the evenings, helping other artists or the owners with exhibitions, events is a great pleasure".
In the month of July and August 2008 Felice left for Spain to work for a month high in the mountains in Centre d' Art I Natura. Also in an artist-in-residence program, together with visual artists, musicians en writers.
In June 2008 she participated in two exhibitions. On the first of June there the exhibition in Galery Donkersvoort in Beek and Donk was opened and lasted until July the 31. On the eight of June the atelierroute Noorder IJ Kunst celebrated its opening in the building of the Bredero College in Amsterdam Noord. www.noorderijkunst.nl
On May 6-th of 2009 the ex Minister of Culture Hedy d' Ancona opened the exhibition: KUNST & de BUREN in the Amstelchurch. Felice sold one of her paintings at the opening, that was visited by 200 people. The exhibition continued untill the 2th of June 2009.
In the summer of 2009 Felice worked for one month at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Ireland www.tyroneguthrie.ie and made 14 studies, which will be enlarged by 1 x 1 meter oil on linen in her studio. It was a very inspiring stay which will be continued in 2010.
In Museum the North www.museumamsterdamnoord.nl Felice exposed one of her paintings untill the end of October 2009. On the 26 and 27 of September NOORTWAARTS 5 Felice opened, together with other artists, her studio for friends and public. On March the 13 the of 2010 she will exhibit 12 paintings in the Royal Gallery in Amsterdam.