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Celia Feliciano

About the Artist

Celia’s expressive and exuberant paintings belie the specificity and rigor of their making. Through hand gestures that appear improvised and loose, her work engages with complex issues inherent to the practice of painting: the orientation of ground and forms, the relationship between colors and the tension between elements tangible and conceptual.

Her approach has been discussed in the context of Provisional Painting, a style of painting that favors looseness and intentional inconclusiveness. Celia’s powerful yet delicate touch endows her work with an exuberance that finds its expression in dramatic color combinations and organic forms.

Celia was born and raised in NYC, graduated from the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts, 1992 and immediately immersed herself in the creative scene in New York. Curious by nature, Celia has spent the past 20 years cultivating creativity in her life and her work – first as a fashion designer, then through visual merchandising and interior design. In 2013, Celia came back to fine art, creating her first body of work in 18 years.

Celia first exhibited in a women’s group show, “Divine Inspiration” in Montclair NJ, 2013. In 2014- 2015 was invited to showcase her work, “Abstract Abstraction” at the PI Fine Art Gallery in Toronto, ON. Where she gained recognition, and sold her work to private collectors, designers and public institutions. In 2016 Celia had her first solo show “The Butterfly Effect” at Basemeant Wrx Art Gallery in Montclair, NJ to much fanfare. She also participated in Open studio exhibits for Gateway Project Spaces in, Newark, NJ, Montclair Art Walk and ended the year exhibiting at Raw Artist Holiday showcase in Toronto, ON. debuting for the first time the “Toronto” series.

Artist Statement

"It took 18 years to break through my fear of not knowing, and let myself be in a vulnerable space to create art that came from within. I learned to let my inner wisdom guide me and free my spirit to share the love, passion and raw emotion I felt inside. The initial re-discovery of my inner artist was liberating and euphoric. I have not looked back or hesitated since completing my first painting, “Grit” in 2013. It was created in a New York City hotel in an all-white square box of a room in a state of oneness, gratitude and prayer. Since the emergence of “Grit”, I have approached all my paintings in a similar way. In communion with the divine, I allow the emotions to flow onto the canvas using my squeegee, hands, brushes, whatever is instinctual for me to use, so that the forms can reveal themselves as expressed language. I draw inspiration through Nature’s beauty, life’s adventures and personal hardships, fashion fantasies and human connections. Growing up in New York City in the 70’s and 80’s and being immersed in that period of social discord, art revolution, diverse cultures /communities, the birth of hip hop and punk influences will always be a part of my core."