Felicity Priest Dip AD Fine Art Hons
(b. 1945 UK)
Felicity Priest is a UK born & educated artist specialising in oil painting. During her long career she has worked both as painter and printmaker, exhibiting and working to commission, internationally. She was recently finalist in the NZ Adam Portrait awards with a new portrait of Dame Kate Harcourt. Her main areas of interest are portraiture, marine painting and the interactions between music and painting. She has had over ten solo exhibitions in UK, Nepal, Cambodia and New Zealand and has participated in numerous group shows. She has been artist in residence with the NZ Opera school and World Monuments Fund among others. She has run numerous teaching workshops in painting, drawing and exploratory creative practice. Her work is held in collections in UK, US, New Zealand, Denmark, Thailand, Java, Nepal, Nassau.
2018 Artist residency New Zealand Opera School Adam Award Finalist 2017 New Zealand Citizenship Group exhibition - Space Gallery, Whanganui ‘80 Million years of Separation....’ Artist in residence - NZOS Sound >vision music> painting project commenced. Portrait of Dame Kate Harcourt 2016 Residency – NZOS Portrait of Stephen Diaz, counter-tenor, formally gifted to Sarjeant Gallery Live Performance painting on stage in NZOS production - Great Opera Moments, Royal Opera House, Whanganui Moved studio to Toi Poneke, Wellington 2015 ‘Holding it Together- A centennial view of women in the WW1 era ‘ Space Gallery, Whanganui Residency – New Zealand Opera School Exhibition - Greenbench, Whanganui 2015/16 Sarjeant Gallery ‘Momentii Bellissimi’ Solo exhibition Opera School collection 2015/16 Exhibition – ‘Holding it together...’ -Percy Thomson Gallery, Stratford 2014 Myths and Muse, Space Gallery, Whanganui Exhibition - Gallery on Guyton, Whanganui 2014 Adam Portraiture Award Finalist, New Zealand Portrait Gallery, Wellington Adam Portraiture Award - touring exhibition 2013 Littoral Drift exhibition -The Arts Post, Waikato Museum, Hamilton 2013-16 Whanganui Regional Museum board member. 2012 Littoral Drift exhibition - Percy Thompson, Stratford, Lysaght Watt, Hawera 2011 Littoral Drift Group exhibitions -Whanganui CAS -Statements Gallery, Napier Artist residency with New Zealand Opera School (NZOS) Organized large scale event ‘Big Paint’ involving 100 artists – Whanganui Exhibition (group) ‘Burn’ - Greenbench Gallery, Whanganui 2011 Created group ‘Littoral Drift’ with Deb Frederikse 2011 – 15 Regular teaching - drawing & painting workshops & courses, including CES 2010 Whanganui Arts Review Waimarino Art Awards - Life Study Award 2010 Represented by Black Sand Studios & Gallery Exhibition (group) - Atrium Gallery, Auckland 2009 Whanganui Arts Review 2008 Whanganui Arts Review, Sarjeant Gallery - 2 portraits 2008/9/10/11/12 Whanganui Artists Open Studios 2006 Moved to Aotearoa, New Zealand from UK 2005 Finalist - SAA (Society for all Artists UK) - Artist of the Year 2001/2/3 Open Studios, Cornwall UK 2001-17 Private portrait commissions 1999 Commissioned by restoration sponsors to make painting of giant garuda bas relief 1999 Return to UK to live & work in Cornwall - Portraiture became core practice 1998/9 Project - Preah Khan Temple, Angkor, Cambodia. 1997/8/ Two consecutive residencies with World Monuments Fund Conservation 1997/8/9 Works from Residencies - 3 solo exhibitions ‘Shades of Angkor’ East West Gallery, London, Indigo Gallery, Kathmandu & Siem Reap in Cambodia 1996 “Wheel of Hope” solo exhibition in Kathmandu, Nepal to raise awareness of leprosy and the work of the centre. Initiated and commissioned 3 part myth busting documentary film shown on a loop throughout the show, featuring Leprosy, the facts, a portrait of the centre and the making of an installation 1996 Commission by Lynda La Plante, London - 15 racehorse portraits 1996-9 12 portrait commissions, Kathmandu. 1995-6 Residency - Shanti Sewa Griha Leprosy Centre, Kathmandu, Nepal 1985 Commission – painting of Gulf War Tanker Exocet disaster – engendered major series 1981 Two person exhibition – London 1980 Solo Exhibition - Kew Studios, London Marine paintings 1972-6 Studied Advanced Printmaking - Morley College London Began painting with main focus on Marine subjects – submarine series Works selected for Royal Society of Marine Artists, London 1966 Graduated Portsmouth College of Art UK Fine Art 1962/3 Norwich School of Art UK Studied painting & printmaking