Rapid River Magazine: When did you first start painting and how did you start you art career?

Jacqui Fehl: I have always been creative but have only been painting seriously for the last three years or so. I also work as a voiceover actress and record radio and TV commercials from my home studio. Longing to create more than funny voices, I set up an art space a few feet away from my audio booth.

Over the summer I began showing and painting at Mark Bettis Studio and Gallery in the River Arts District. Love the vibe and sense of community and I think I am putting out better work now.

RRM: What artists have inspired you (modern and historically)?

Fehl: So many artists have inspired me and the list keeps growing thanks to Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Off the top of my head, Picasso, Basquiat, Antoni Tapies, Siliva Poloto, Malgorzata Lasarek and Cy Twombly.

RRM: How would you describe your style?

Fehl: My style is a blend of contemporary, abstract, grunge, whimsey and outsider. I love lots of texture, layers, text (often illegible) and line…and, it is always evolving.

RRM: What is your creative process like?

Fehl: At home I work in water based media including acrylics, graphite, collage, and pastels. When I paint at the gallery, my mixed media work is predominantly oil and cold wax. Slower drying time allows me to stop and assist clients.

I almost always start by laying down a background. Since I use lots of layers and materials, I try to stay free and loose without my thought to composition in the beginning. As I add, I also subtract by wiping away or sanding. I work mostly intuitively. The work I have been most proud of are those that “just happened.” If I don’t like something when it is “done,” I set it aside for awhile and then just paint over it. That happens quite a lot!

You can see my work at Mark Bettis Studio and Gallery, 123 Roberts Street, Wedge Building in Asheville’s River Arts District.

I have funky chicken paintings at Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack South location in Arden.

Jacqui Fehl
www.JacquiFehl.com
www.Facebook.com/JacquiFehlArt
www.Instagram.com/JacquiFehl