Portrait Art

Urban People

These paintings of urban people were discovered by the artist and invited to pose either onsite, in her studio, or at the Interurban Gallery during a one-person show.

To buy originals or prints, or to commission portraits from life or photos, please contact Felicity.

“Alternating between washes of colour, black outlines, and selective detail – all in chalk pastel – Felicity Don’s portraits have an elusive presence: real space seems to materialize around the faces of her sitters, who emerge between the looser marks and washes that define the rest of the page.”
– Graeme Fisher of OCW (One Cool Word online magazine)

DTES

“We love Felicity Don’s stunning, virtually life-sized portrait of a young aboriginal woman, done in her downtown studio. We had it framed in a black hanging format and it is mounted on the living room wall in our Gulf Islands house, where it attracts a great deal of admiration and attention. It’s honest and striking but also warm and sympathetic, the kind of portrait you can look at forever and see in many different ways. Highly recommended.”
– Suzanne Fournier and Art Moses

Union Gospel Mission

These paintings were done for Union Gospel Mission. I had been contracted on two occasions by Union Gospel Mission to produce donor books of portraits and stories for high contributing donors, who donated toward the construction of a high-rise intended to house men fighting addiction in 2010 and the same for a high rise for women in 2020. All paintings were done live, on site.

“The energy that exudes from many of her portraits imply that the models are actually challenging us to see something in them, rather than waiting to have something drawn out of their image.”
– Graeme Fisher, OCW

Quick Sketches

All these portraits are quick sketches, 1/2 hour to 45-minute studies of locals at the Carnegie Centre at Hastings and Main, Vancouver. Hastings & Main is known to be one of the most violent corners in Canada, but the Carnegie Centre itself is an oasis on that corner of protection and calm.

“It’s Felicity Don’s unrelenting drive for compelling images that keeps her drawing the colourful characters living in the Downtown Eastside”
– Dharm Makwana of 24 hrs.