IN THE STUDIO
Harding,forthesaturatedglow
oftheredlightbulb:“They’rehighly
pigmentedcolourssotheytakea bit
ofdilutionwithoutlosingtheirpunch.”
Forallthepracticalapplication
involvedinhercraft,Feliciastill
talksaboutpaintinginanintangible,
almostmysticalway.Sheis hardat
workona newbodyofwork,yet
reluctanttoshareanydetailsbefore
it is properlyformedforfearof“giving
upthemagic”or“scaringit backunder
thebed”.Likewise,colourspeaks
toherandshefindssheoften
personifiespigmentswhiledrawing:Felicia often photographs colour or
design ideas found in unlikely places
“I mean, I don’t literally talk to my
paint piles, but I feel one colour is
friendlier and would be more helpful.”
Her superstitious nature truly
comes to light when asked about her
influences. “This question is difficult
for me because I don’t really like art or
painting,” she says, matter-of-factly.ABOVE, CLOCKWISE
FROM TOP LEFT
Self-Portrait 2017,
oil on paper,
31x41cm; It Came
to Me, oil on panel,
61x91cm; Felicia’s
Detroit home studio
“I just happen to be painter. Once you
can paint representationally, it’s hard
to quiet the possibilities and follow that
gut feeling of how you should paint.
I’ve spent the last five or six years not
looking at art books and un-following
peers that I admire so I don’t see
what they’re doing and get influenced.”