"It is very easy to become fully engrossed in the work and hours disappear like minutes. I think I am actually addicted to the process." Felicite Briggs

Life in Colour

Oct 29

Written By GoLive

The superb Southern Tablelands artist Felicite Briggs is part of our upcoming group show, *Life in Colour*.

We are so excited to welcome the outstanding Southern Tablelands-based artist Felicite Briggs to Tyger for our upcoming show, Life in Colour.

The show brings together more than 30 incredible artists from all over the country for a celebration of vibrant colour.

Please register to join us on Saturday 16 November from 1pm as we celebrate Life in Colour in the company of the amazing artists involved in the show. Put your name down for this FREE event here, and pop your contact details on the mailing list to get early pre-sales access.

Felicite Briggs studied fine arts in Sydney, majoring in drawing, printmaking and painting. Now based in New South Wales' Southern Tablelands, Felicite creates beautiful and vibrantly-coloured works predominantly using coloured pencils.

This year alone she has been a finalist in the Fisher's Ghost Art Prize, the Lane Cove Art Award, the Michael Beaver Works on Paper Prize and had a dual exhibition at SHAC Gallery, Symbiosis. In 2022 &2023 she won first and second prizes in the Goulburn and District Annual Art Prize. We're thrilled to show her superb work at Tyger.

Ahead of the show opening, Felicite told us about the joy in slow art, colour on cold, bleak days, and telling the stories of the things that inspire her.

Where do you create your work?

"I work in a purpose-built studio in my house. One wall is floor to ceiling glass, which opens out onto a garden courtyard. It has a beautiful view of the surrounding farmland. My husband and I live on a very private 50 acres in the Southern Tablelands, near Crookwell. We have four dogs, a cat, 13 sheep and an extensive cool climate garden. The property provides me with the perfect, peaceful environment for creating my art."

How do you create your work?

"I always refer to my work as slow art."

"A large work can take up to a month of daily input from start to finish. I begin with an idea for a drawing. This is usually inspired by a personal object or something from my garden. Something that has a story to tell. Composition and lighting are worked out and reference photos are taken. Preliminary drawings are made and the final outline is transferred to the surface I work on. (Hot pressed cotton paper or mount board are favourites)."

"I mainly work with Caran d’Ache Luminance and Pablo pencils, as they have very high colour fastness qualities and are a pleasure to use. I also use Faber Castell Polychromos and Premier Prismacolor pencils."

"The slow process of layering colours and capturing each detail of the subject begins. It is very easy to become fully engrossed in the work and hours disappear like minutes. I think I am actually addicted to the process and find it extremely satisfying to work this way."

Tell us the story of Gerberas, your work in Life in Colour?

"I was inspired to create Gerberas after visiting the Farmers’ Market in Canberra, towards the end of winter 2023. It was a cold, bleak day and I bought this beautiful, multicoloured bunch of gerberas, to cheer myself up."

What inspires you?

"A lot of my inspiration comes from other Artists. Too many to name. Their use of colour. The way they compose their works. The subjects they choose. Styles as individual as a fingerprint. Some so distinctive they are instantly recognisable as the work of a particular Artist. Finished works that seem so effortlessly accomplished, yet are filled with detail, character and beauty. The ones that really speak to you."

"The light. The way colours change in the light at different times of the year, or the times of day."

"My everyday life. Finding inspiration and beauty in the things surrounding me and the challenge to record those things and tell a story. The excitement when I think I’ve nailed it."

What do you hope people feel when they see your work?

"I hope they love the work and are fascinated by the way I have used the medium. I hope they notice the little details that I so enjoy including in the drawings and that the work strikes a chord and perhaps triggers a memory. I hope the work to speaks to them!"