Félix, painter and illustrator

Since he was born in 1988, Félix Girard has lived in the hill of Sainte-Brigitte-de-Laval, near Quebec City, Canada. He is a self-taught illustrator and painter who creates and explores the imaginary by associating forms, places and characters coming right from his own personal universe. Continuing family traditions, as his mother and his father are also painters, Félix started off in the family workshop, discovering and exploring different kinds of media and techniques. Dedicated at first to drawing, he now devotes his time to acrylic painting and different illustration techniques. Initially drawing inspiration from comic books and illustrators such as Brian Froud, Felix now finds his inspiration in Renaissance painters like Brueghel, Bosch, Dürer and Vermeer and in the surrealist and symbolist movements.

While continuing to fulfil his illustration contracts and produce his own artworks, Felix really started his public artistic career with his first exhibition in May 2007 at the pub L’INOX, in Quebec City. This exhibition was a turning point; Felix’s works were gathered together and put on display for the first time, which gave him an opportunity to get a feel for the public appreciation of his work. Indeed, in the first few hours of the exhibition almost all of his paintings were sold! This was encouraging? news, of course, but Felix had also committed three other exhibitions to take place in the following months. So, this summer, he painted around the clock to produce new paintings for the exhibitions and to honour numerous orders.

This year, Felix has decided to live in France to gain artistic experience and to see new places and people to serve as inspiration in his work. Fortunately, Felix benefits from the financial support of a Quebec sponsor and he already has his order book fairly well filled.

All of that said, Felix continues to take your orders, from Quebec, from France or from any place in the world.

Félix, architect

Since his childhood, Félix has had interest in every form of creation, and his curiosity has allowed him to explore and study areas as diverse as music, wood work, leather work, furniture design, blacksmithing, anatomy, etc. Félix is particularly interested in architecture, and has decided to take an architecture program at university; he hopes that this will expand his knowledge and experience, and allow him to accomplish great projects where architecture and art can be combined. Of course, Felix will still be available for your commissions.

Inspirations and influences

Comics, Brian Froud, Pieter Brueghel, Hieronymus Bosch, Jan Vermeer, Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt, Salvador Dali, Gustav Klimt, Alphonse Mucha, John Everett Millais, William Turner, Ozias Leduc, Hans Makart, Edvard Munch, Antoni Gaudi, Hector Guimard, etc.

How do I work?

Most of Felix's paintings are made with acrylic painting on Arches © watercolor paper fixed on a masonite panel. Usually, some sketches are done then a detailled drawing is made directly on the paper. After that, the drawing is colored with acrylic. A painting of 35 x 55 cm takes about thirty hours to be finished.

The biggest paintings are made on canvas with acrylic.

Exhibitons and realisations

Extras

Interview of Felix, 9 january 2008, CHYZ 94,3 (French):