A Minute With Ian Felice
Hi! This is a newsletter about artists I like.
I began acquiring art through some friends that worked in galleries. I started small, working on a limited budget, for stuff I could afford. As time passed, my collection grew, and it was exciting to watch many of the artists I'd collected go on to bigger shows and critical acclaim. My goal with this newsletter is to make a digestible resource for anyone interested in artists that are making great (and still affordable!) work, whom you haven't heard about... yet.
I came across Ian’s work on Instagram, really liked it, and guilt tripped him into doing this interview. Thanks Ian!!
You are an artist in every sense of the word, poetry, music and painting, where and how do you find the time for all of it?
IF: Lately I'm finding it very difficult to make time to work. I've been writing a record over the past couple of months and have not painted at all. When I get into something, I need to be convinced that it is worthwhile, even if I'm just tricking myself into thinking it is. Otherwise, it puts me in a slump. That being said, if a writing or a painting project is demanding my attention, there is little time for anything outside of it. Therefore, I tend to work in a specific medium for the duration of a project. It's been my aim to have more of a cooperative relationship between these things but I've unfortunately been unable to realize it. I also have two small children, which is the most demanding project of my life.
Can you describe your painting style?
IF: Not easily. I'm interested in the ability of images to transcend themselves in the same way that language does in poetry. I'm also interested in dreams and the unconscious , which puts my paintings somewhere in the spectrum of surrealism, which is strange because I've never really liked surrealistic paintings, but I do love the poetry, which is where I think most of my inspiration comes from. Many times I will have an image or a scene in my mind that I think has significance for one reason or another. The image of people with dinner plates for faces, for example. It's often unclear, or half-understood, the symbolic meaning of the idea. It relates to an experience in my life but I often don't know how or why. Images need to possess a sort of mystery that allows them to be investigated.
Where are you based? What are some things you like to do in those parts?
IF: I'm based in the Hudson Valley. I like to go for walks in the woods and to look for hawks and eagles with my 5 year old son.
Any shows planned for 2023 ? If not, what’s the best way for someone to inquire about purchasing a work ?
IF: I currently have a painting up in a group show at a gallery called Gold/Scopophilia. I usually sell work out of my studio, people can email me if they are interested in seeing available paintings ( info@ianfelice.com) I also have two gallery shows planned for 2023, more info is forthcoming.
Whats currently motivating/inspiring you in your craft(s)?
IF: Hellenistic art, the snow falling, mummies and prophetic urns, birds of prey, mighty mouse, roman aqueducts and things of that nature. Also, paying the rent etc.
Who should we have on next?
IF: Michael McGrath
*** Here are some of our favorite works by Ian so reach out to him if you want to know more about them and availability.
Love the rabbit painting.