Felicia van Bork

Best known for her collages and paintings, Felicia van Bork is the host of Draw McColl Center and former Coordinator of the Printmaking Lab at McColl Center for Art + Innovation in Charlotte, NC. She was awarded a 2024 grant by the NC Arts Council. She has been the recipient of residency fellowships at the American Academy in Rome, McColl Center, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Felicia van Bork’s work has been featured at Wynwood Art Fair, Dallas Art Fair, and Miami Art Fair. Her collage, “How to Mine the Past,” is in the Permanent Collection of the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC.


Artist Statement

A challenge I give myself is the writer's adage, "Kill your darlings." To test it, I make the most beautiful, unique monoprints I can and then tear them to bits to make collages. By tearing up my darlings, I make room for playfulness, and through playfulness, I open the door to creative breakthroughs. The floor of my studio is covered with pieces of prints. Where I see an interesting combination of elements, I add and subtract until an image, full of mood and movement, comes into focus. Although the process is intuitive as far as meaning making is concerned, I am putting hard theory to work regarding my compositional choices.

I make my prints on an etching press using printmaking paper and archival inks. I assemble my works using acrylic gloss medium as the adhesive. I give my collages on braced panels multiple, barely visible coats of a carefully formulated, tough, anti-UV varnish.


www.feliciavanbork.com