Realistic figurative painter Felicita Norris joined the Clark Art Talk on Tuesday to discuss her art with students, staff and faculty.
Hosted by Archer Gallery Director Michelle Ramin, this Art Talk showcased and discussed 15 of Norris’ art pieces via Zoom.
Identity, contradiction and empathy, inspired by her childhood trauma, are the driving forces behind Norris’ art. Ramin said that motherhood, trauma, domestic relationships and the female form are common themes in Norris’ work.
“Every piece has its own story for that moment,” Norris said. “Everything that you are seeing is a feeling or energy I was feeling in that moment.”
Norris starts each of her paintings behind the lens of a camera. Before she picks up a brush she stages a photo shoot of her subject, which quite often is herself or her family. The photos are then used as a reference for her paintings in a process she calls “the original photoshop.”
The size of her paintings, as well as the methods by which she creates them, play a role in the story Norris tells.
Norris teaches at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. Her art has been showcased around the world, including the de Young Museum in San Francisco and the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.
This was the third of nine Clark Art Talks this year hosted by the Archer Gallery. A recording of the event is available here.
The next virtual Art Talk on Nov. 18 will feature contemporary artist Cathy Lu. Using a variety of methods, Lu’s work uses traditional East Asian imagery to explore modern themes. More information can be found at Clark Art Talks.
