Felix
Arts
August 23th, 2024 10:30 am
What a momentous occasion it is: thanks to L. E. Bolden, I've had the opportunity to complete my first commercial mural project!! It makes for the perfect finishing touch to her gorgeous studio.
Incredibly, it went exactly according to plan, despite certain challenges like working in a tight space/on stairs and needing to take outdoor proofing into account!
Working big was a wonderful experience and I'm so stoked to do even bigger, more elaborate work in the future! Dreaming of
a mural for your home or business? Hit me up!
June 7th, 2024 7:00 pm
If you missed my last book signing, I'll be at the Ottawa, Blair Rd. Chapters on Saturday June 29th! Come have a chat and get your booked signed!
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May 1st, 2024 12:30 pm
So pumped to finally reveal the two mural designs I've been cooking up for the exterior stairwell access to L. E. Bolden Studio! She has already made her selection, but I won't reveal which one it is yet~ Which one would you choose? Paint starts going on the wall in June!
Feb 2nd, 2024 1:00 pm
The Russell Library is exhibiting my artwork from Feb 2 - April 2! This is a rare opportunity for you to see my gallery pieces up close and in person. Who knows, you might even want to take one home. If you're looking for truly one of a kind investment wall art, be sure to check my gallery page to see which of them are for sale and for how much, then contact me by e-mail or through messenger.
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Dec 10th, 2023 11:00 am
FelixArts has been fortunate enough to have been covered by three different journalistic sources, so I think it's time to add a dedicated strip on the News page so that you can access them all side-by-side. What an incredible milestone! I am stunned by and grateful for the excitement and support from this community. Il y a même un interview en français!
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Dec 7th, 2023 10:00 am
It was so exiting and inspiring to visit L. E. Bolden's new studio! It's spacious and welcoming, featuring a baby grand piano and a lovely teaching/lounge area!​Better yet, together we are going to outfit it with a dedicated isolation booth for recording! After talking about her plans for this space for years, it is so magical to see it come together for real!! Nearly everything in the studio so far is bespoke and either features my designs (the logo!) or colour themes inspired by my designs!I'm looking forward to starting work on a mural for the studio in the new year and getting our first recordings there down the line! We're making music happen!
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Nov 29th, 2023 5:00 pm
I want to thank everyone who came down for my book launch at the Library on Tuesday! It was a lot of fun hanging out with friends and neighbours and meeting a few new faces. The people promoting local cultural developments at the Library are such rockstars. I'm so grateful to them.
Nov 21st, 2023 4:05 pm
Great news: the Russell Public Library has been generous enough to let me host a book signing there from1pm until closing on Tuesday, November 28th! If you fancy it, you can join me for a chill hangout, get your book signed and enjoy some complementary chocolate in a lovely and calm space.
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The library was also kind enough to pass my info on to local radio station CJRO 107.9. Candice and I had a wonderful interview today that will be available on Spotify next week. Will post a link as soon as I can!
Gotta love that small town spirit! The support from this vibrant community is both exciting and humbling!
Nov 14th, 2023 5:25 pm
I almost can't believe it: what began as a fairly small project has metamorphized into a whole book, and it officially drops for purchase tomorrow! If you asked me a few years ago if I considered poetry a serious part of my career, I would have laughed it off, yet here we are, my first publication is a poetry collection. Funny how things can change!
Oct 9th, 2023 10:20 am
Guess what? My poetry collection is almost ready! The manuscript is finished, the test copy was a success and now there are just a few minor tweaks to make before the paperback goes up for sale on Amazon. It will be available starting November 15th! It's wonderful to see this project that was years in the making finally coming to fruition!!
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Take a look at the formatted book cover and keep your eyes peeled for sneak peaks of the inside on Instagram and Facebook!
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June 25th, 2023 11:30 am
Alright, it has been a minute! Many things have happened:
1. For the first time, one of my poems and two of my artworks were accepted for publishing by a magazine: many thanks to New York based Troublemaker Firestarter. While I didn't get paid for this one, I'm hoping this is just the beginning in terms of publishing.
I intend to wear it as a badge of honour that the first volume I have ever been published in is called Sad Poems for Horny People. This appears to be the state of poetry, nowadays... one has to start somewhere. If you would like to read it, it is available at https://troublemakerfirestarter.com/. Be advised that it contains some adult NSFW content.
2. I finished the second draft of my own poetry collection. Right now it is 88 pages long and is being looked over by some beta readers. Feel free to e-mail me if you'd like to volunteer to beta-read. Currently, I am agonizing over whether or not to include a glossary. I have also noticed that if I can pen just four more poems that are thematically appropriate and of sufficient quality, I will have have fifty poems in the collection!
3. Yesterday, I wrapped up work on five songs with Lyndsay Bolden. Stand by for further updates about her newest collection of gospel spirituals, A Bold Spirit. Now, when it comes to her music, Lyndsay is absolutely the boss, so I don't always get to express myself much in her recordings. That said, I will be highlighting one song in which I got to play with vocal layering and wound up rather enjoying the results. I hope you enjoy them too!
4. I got married at the end of May, which is the main reason I had no time to update until now! Weddings are a lot of work! A selection of photos from the ceremony can be accessed on my instagram page, https://www.instagram.com/felix_vanasse/ . You will also find many pictures of cats, plants and insects over there. : )
As always, you have my gratitude for taking the time to read this update! Keep being awesome and remember to drink water and have naps sometimes!
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Feb 21st, 2023 9:45 am
It cannot be kept hidden any longer: I must announce the Secret Project! For just over a year now, I have been working on assembling my own original poetry and artwork into an anthology that I hope to self-publish! Originally, to keep from getting overwhelmed, I told myself I would simply published whatever I had when my old deadline (August 2022) rolled around, even if the book turned out to be very short. At that point, it was about 50 pages long, not including table of contents, acknowledgements and all that.
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As I showed the book to close friends, I realized it had more potential. Further, I was enjoying myself enough that I felt I could sustain an extended project. It is now one year since I began working on it and it is about 70 pages long and contains roughly 40 poems and about 20 illustrations. My new goal is to push it over 100 pages without compromising quality.
The process of learning about and becoming more serious about poetry has brought me to new and interesting places. I have begun submitting poetry to publishers of magazines and anthologies. I'm not sure where this new interest will take me.
Poetry has become one of the more sustainable methods of expression for me - it is something I can practice every day, even when exhausted from my retail job. I now routinely critique and edit poetry even when I am not writing it.
Despite the need for feedback as I work on my book, I am hesitant to post poems that will be featured in it online. I am still wrestling with the decision of how to debut as a poet when I already have so many other creative pursuits. As poetry is very intimate and personal, presenting it to a general audience can make the poet vulnerable in ways no other art form can.
Still, I hope very soon you will be able to explore my writing and enjoy some never-before-seen sketches and illustrations! From now on, I will keep you posted on my progress!
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Oct 18th, 2022 10:00 pm
From a creative standpoint this is not a very exciting announcement, but from a financial standpoint it is important. I have been hired as a 'permanent casual' at the LCBO and the Christmas season is fast approaching. Since my creative business alone has not been financially sustainable for me, I will be putting recording and painting on hold for now to build up some savings.
My Secret Project is still underway, and I hope to return to recording in January, when things slow down at the store. So, do not worry if you don't hear from me for a few months. I'm still here and I'm still an artist... but I'm also working a normal job because that's life. See you on the other side of Christmas!
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June 1st, 2022 1:15 pm
I'm so honoured that Lexie Hsu, Jamie Bouwman and Emily Kapralik thought my business was noteworthy enough to come to shoot this interview at my home studio! I hope you enjoy the video and the insights it brings about my process, story and my motivations.
You can watch the vid here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSra9Hhs84A
You can follow the film makers at:
Jamie Bowman: https://www.instagram.com/jamiemadisonfilms/
Lexie Hsu: https://www.instagram.com/lexie_woodss/
Emily Kapralik: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrenae04/
May 12, 2022 12:10 pm
I am so thrilled to announce a collaboration with the mysterious Tryptic! The Tryptic project is a tranquil and haunting multimedia experience involving gorgeous photography, atmospheric sound-scaping and intriguing music videos. It speaks to the lonely, the grieving and those who love to wander. Treat yourself to glimpses of forbidden and forgotten places covered in rich graffiti and inhabited by a comforting presence.
Check it out here: https://linktr.ee/tryptic
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Feb 18, 2022 5:30 pm
I cannot say much, but there's a bit of a secret project underway. I've been working on it for years without really knowing it. Recent events have temporarily limited my range of movement, but this has given me the opportunity to work in ways I normally don't. Now that I can finally see its potential, I hope this project can someday bring joy and inspiration.
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My tentative goal for release is August of 2022, but we'll have to see. There are still many unknowns. Hold on, folks, it's gonna be a wild ride.
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Dec 4, 2021 10:00 pm
Thank you to everyone who came out to meet me at the Russell Christmas Market! The venture did not turn out to be profitable, but it was a great community experience and I'm proud I got to be a part of it! Perhaps in the future I will be able to produce more attractive mid and low price-point products. At least my table looked awesome!
Nov 29, 2021 7:00 pm
Get ready for a good old-fashioned Christmas Market! I'm thrilled to announce FelixArts has been accepted as a vendor at the Russell Christmas Market, which will be occurring on Saturday, December 4th from 1pm to 9pm! There will be so many exciting vendors selling handmade goods and food, as well as activities for kids during the day and live music and a wine garden towards evening time! I do hope you'll drop into the Curling Club building to say hello. :)
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You'll love the soft, custom pillows I've ordered featuring prints of my newest seasonal artwork (designs shown below). I've also lovingly prepared 20 pairs of unique earrings to choose from using a mix of recycled and new stone, shell, bead and wire materials! Most importantly, I'll be displaying and selling a dozen of my original paintings. Many are already framed and ready to hang. I'll also be taking lesson sign-ups at my table for lessons starting in the new year!
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Entrance to the market is free, so you can come and enjoy the atmosphere at zero cost. I hope to see you there.
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Oct 16, 2021 7:30 pm
I have some epic news coming just in time for your chilly-weather gaming sessions: FelixArts is now able to offer bespoke cartography to meet your tabletop gaming needs!
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Get your sketch of that beloved homebrew world or area map turned into a beautiful, High-Definition Full Colour map!! I can bring your world into focus at 300 dpi and get it printed as large as 48 x 72 inches on flexible and durable matte-finish paper that is perfect for use in-game.
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Prices depend on the size and level of detail you require, as well as how labor-intensive your stylistic preferences are. This example map was printed on a 17 x 22 inch sheet and cost the commissioner just $150!
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Contact us for a free consultation and estimate at felix.a.vanasse@gmail.com
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Please note this image is not full resolution due to website limitations. Your full resolution images will be shared via e-mail or cloud services.
Sept 23, 2021 4:45 pm
Hello everyone and Happy Autumn! I'm so stoked to announce our website is Live as of today!! Please note, I am officially open for Commissions and Lessons again as well!
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Stand by for finalization of the Music part of our site! I hope to let you hear some of my work and give you a little tour of my home studio!
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Here are a few Halloween-related projects I've been working on, just to let you in on the fun. The eyes are hand-painted and glazed with clear nail-polish. What do you think?
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