Félix de la Concha
Félix de la Concha was born in Spain, and in 1995 moved to the United States. He now divides his time between the two countries, and accepts commissions around the world.
Like Monet, de la Concha's paintings are executed on site, en plein air, in order to precisely capture the light and passage of time. He is meticulous. Standing for an hour or so, at the same place and time of day, he paints his chosen scene, and returns day after day until the work is completed.
De la Concha's paintings are not only true to life, they are true to light.
Concentrated on landscapes and architectural studies, the work recalls traditional realistic painting approaches. But the straight-forward presentation and classic subject matter also reveal an Andy Warhol influence. De la Concha presents architecture and place in ways that raise intriguing questions about perception.
In addition to landscapes and architectural studies, de la Concha practices a particular, focused-type of portraiture. Starting with an empty canvas, he paints and videos and records his subjects talking — telling themed-stories concerning a place or experiences they have shared. As a result, over the space of approximately an hour a finished portrait is created, and an audio-video record is produced.
"It's not just about the portrait," de la Concha says. “The portrait is part of the process, the video and the audio, it all has to be seen in context."
Visitors to de la Concha's portrait exhibitions listen to oral testimony and simultaneously watch the speaker's portrait evolve. It is a unique and intimate way to experience portraiture. For example, in 2013, de la Concha painted Holocaust survivors in the Twin City area, which became Portraits and Conversations with Survivors of the Shoah.