Adams County Covered Bridge

Oil & Acrylic on canvas

19.5"x23.5" framed

2023

COLLECTOR STATEMENT

An original commissioned painting of a covered bridge in Adams County, Pennsylvania.

ARTIST BIO

Felicity Sidwell's impressionistic paintings express her delight in the colors of the landscape of the many places she has called home. From the coast of Maine to Pennsylvania farmland, from the familiar English countryside of her childhood to her travels amongst the rich red rocks of Utah and the deserts of the South West. Felicity is always finding patterns of color in her surroundings that she loves to share in her art.

Growing up in an English village, then living and working in London the move to the United States with her husband's work in 1971 was a life changing experience. For over thirty years they lived in an old farmhouse in Newtown, Connecticut where she had a studio, was active in SCAN, the Artists Guild in Newtown, participated in two artists' cooperatives, and had a number of one woman shows.

While her three boys were young Felicity painted in watercolors, she also raised sheep for their wool which she spun into yarn and sold eggs at the local food co-op from her free range chickens.

By 2000 Felicity was doing weekly summer, outdoor shows with her watercolors on Cape Cod as a member of the Eastham Painters Guild.

The move to midcoast Maine in 2006 was a definitive time in Felicity's art career, as the strength of her impressionist style developed. After many years as a watercolorist, she turned almost exclusively to oils, preferring to work outside, en Plein air, to capture the colors and special light of the coast. Of influence during this period was painting with the Plein Air Painters of Maine and the "Thursday Group" of painting friends, who gave each other critiques and support as their work and friendships evolved. For five years Felicity also ran a successful gallery where she sold her work at her summer cottage in the little fishing village of West Point, Phippsburg, ME.

On moving to Gettysburg, PA in 2016 Felicity painted and exhibited with the Susquehanna Plein Air Painters, the Mountain Valley Plein Air Painters and another Thursday Group, the Plein Air Painters of the Hanover Arts Guild and also exhibited work in Carlisle at CALC.
It was while living in Pennsylvania that she discovered the excitement of working in pastels.

After her husband's death, the Pennsylvania property became increasingly harder to take care of, so in September 2023 she made yet another move. Felicity now lives in West Bend, Wisconsin close to her youngest son, Dan and delights in the company of her two little granddaughters.

She is happy to have become a part of the Cedarburg art community where her work can be seen at the Cedarburg Cultural Center

Silvermine School of Art, New Canaan CT

1972-1990 studied with various instructors/artists

Key influences:

Anthony Dimeglio - oil painting, taught me to look very carefully at the nuances of color variation on a surface.

Norman Nilsen - color theory

Hannah Ferrenbach - watercolors

1992-1998 Wooster School of Art, Danbury CT

Alexander Shundi - drawing, design, art history, oil painting

Susan Ferri - abstract art, surrealism, Plein Air oil painting

https://www.instagram.com/felicitysidwell/