Pigmented Lime Plaster on Poplar, 2021-23

Having spent the Pandemic locked in Puglia, Fels settled into working with pigmented lime plaster, the hyper-local raw material created from the limestone that runs under the coastal southern Italian region. The studio material was obtained from the artisans at Calce Viva, who create world-class lime plaster following an ancient and exacting protocol. They export their product around the world but are a 30-minute drive from Studio33.

In applying plaster to wood, Fels combines two ancient Italian painting traditions. This body of work unites the fresco technique, historically applied to plaster wall surfaces, with painting on wood. Fashioning the pieces from wooden sections, the work mimics the modular form of altar pieces, though sans iconography. Fels has long viewed the act of painting as meditation and has spent years looking at altarpieces in Europe and Asia.

Having greatly pared down the paintings during the Pandemic, he was ready again to open himself to surface richness. The plaster, applied in several thin layers, lends itself wonderfully to manipulation, and to organic shapes.

The old plaster walls on the buildings surrounding Studio33 offer a beguiling ‘gallery’ of oxidized and stained surfaces for study.