Felicity Don

About Felicity

For over 15 years Felicity Don has specialized in portraits, depicting the gamut of humanity from movie stars to the homeless. Hollywood actor Malcolm McDowell (Clockwork Orange) , who owns his portrait done by her, claimed her portrait was the best ever done of him.

Beginning art school as a sculpture major, Felicity received her BFA from Concordia University in Montreal & University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. She continued working in bronze, concrete, fiberglass & mixed media sculpture at Emily Carr College, studying bronze under Jack Harman, who designed the beautiful statue of Justice at the Vancouver Supreme Court.

Realizing with time that she had a superior talent for drawing people she concentrated on the world of portraiture. She has shown in many Canadian galleries & her work can be found in private & corporate collections. See CV below.

For many years, Felicity has been drawing the locals in the Downtown Eastside. In the words of the artist “My work space is public space. I take my easel down to the library, card-playing room, or cafeteria of the Carnegie Centre at Hastings and Main (in Vancouver, Canada) and draw people. The setting is intensely urban. The people are lacking in artifice. Crowds watch me drawing but the intensity of the aesthetic experience soon erases the audience.” She also finds people in the streets who fascinate her visually, bringing them to her studio for long poses.

Her talent for drawing people from life has led her to work as well in television and film. Since 1989, she has been freelancing doing portraits of movie actors & set dec paintings for the film industry. Her work is highlighted in many crime documentaries. She draws court proceedings for print media and television news working closely with Global TV, the Vancouver Sun & Reuters, along with other media both local & worldwide. See Courtroom Art.

EDUCATION

• 1976 BFA University of Manitoba & Concordia University: Majoring in scupture.
• 1977-1980 Emily Carr College: Attended for further bronze sculpture & drawing study/work. Studied bronze under Jack Harman.
• 1982 Capilano College. Extensive course in fired clay sculpture with Jim Thornsbury.

COLLECTIONS

PUBLIC/CORPORATE

• Chinese Checkers, owned by The Bentall Center, Vancouver (& hanging in the public foyer).

PRIVATE

• Art owned privately by collectors.

CRITICAL REVIEWS

2008

• The Vancouver Sun. Full page review. (Writer Kevin Griffith)
• One Cool Word Magazine. #12 Vancouver vs. Toronto. (Writer Graeme Fisher)
• 24HRS. Front page + one full page review. Writer Dharm Makwana
• Guest on the Urban RushTV program to discuss & show art work
• Guest on Global TV news to discuss work showing at the InterUrban Gallery

1996

• Artichoke Magazine, full page image of “Chinese Checkers”
• The Coast Reporter. (Writer Jane Seyd)

1995

• Ming Pao Newspaper, Vancouver BC