Wednesday, May 28, 2025
PHOTO: Michael Rose
In her Middletown studio overlooking Easton Pond, printmaker Felicia Touhey is at work on a new series of monoprints that are inspired by a recent trip to Europe. The sharp geometry of abstracted buildings is paired with fluid figurative shapes. Touhey is one of the state’s most lauded printmakers and currently her work is featured in the windows of Arnold Art Store and Gallery on Thames Street in Newport, as well as at DeBlois Gallery just a couple of yards from where she makes her art.
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In her latest body of work, cut shapes form a key element of the printmaking process. Touhey repurposes boxes for tea or eye drops and uses them to create architectural scenes. In other series, she has made stencils of botanical forms or birds. The practice is reminiscent of a favorite artist who also liked to use scissors and paper. Touhey says, “The artist I am most influenced by is Matisse. His subject matter, cutouts and drawings are a constant source of inspiration for me.”
PHOTO: Michael Rose
Touhey earned a BFA from Boston University in Painting. Towards the end of her undergraduate work, she was able to take a printmaking course and discovered a lifelong passion for the practice. Touhey went on to earn an MFA in Studio Teaching at BU as well and education has formed an important part of her career. For over twenty years, she taught drawing and printmaking at Newport Art Museum, and from 2015 to 2022, she designed and ran the education program at Wickford Art Association.
Printmaking is Touhey’s core interest, but she has experimented with other forms of making like collage and encaustic. She says of her practice, “My love and passion for printmaking began in college and continues to this day. When I did not have access to a printmaking press, I began to use encaustic paints. One would think that ink and wax would be very different to use but I found that my use of the mediums was very similar. Both allow me to work in layers and to combine other materials within the process. My collage work is a natural outgrowth of my printmaking since it makes use of prints that are not quite ‘ready for primetime’ but can be cut and used in a different way than intended.”
PHOTO: Michael Rose
Extremely active on the local and regional scene, Touhey’s work has been selected for recent exhibitions at Bristol Art Museum, Mystic Museum of Art, the Attleboro Arts Museum, South County Art Association, Overlap Gallery, Spring Bull Gallery, the Cultural Center of Cape Cod, the Marblehead Arts Association, and many others. She has earned numerous prizes both in local and national exhibitions from a wide range of jurors. One of the spots locals can see her work right now is at Newport’s Arnold Art Store and Gallery.
PHOTO: Michael Rose
Asked about sharing her work in the space, Touhey answers, “I was thrilled when Sandy MacDonald from Arnold Art Store & Gallery asked if I would like to have my work in their window. What artist would not be…the visibility is great from both the sidewalk and driving down the streets. I have lived in Newport since 1986 and have been an active artist, art educator and advocate for the visual arts all this time. It is very nice to have my work on display in such a public place for all to see and to learn more about me.”
Touhey is a Juried Artist Member of Art League Rhode Island and Wickford Art Association as well as 19 on Paper, a group of makers focused on paper-based art. A respected expert in her field, she has also been juried into the Monotype Guild of New England as well as Boston Printmakers, one of the nation’s most storied printmaking groups.
PHOTO: Michael Rose
At DeBlois Gallery, a short walk from the artist’s studio, visitors can enjoy a selection of inventive birdhouses by Touhey. Melding her love of print media with her attentiveness to design, they leverage a small format to show off the sensibility for colors and textures that has defined her production. They are also a fun departure from two dimensional prints into something more sculptural.
PHOTO: Michael Rose
Considering the direction of her practice as an artist, Touhey is interested in exploring and reinterpreting themes. She explains, “Over the years my subject matter has ranged from landscapes and organic matter to the more recent use of figures and birds. I have also been experimenting with different materials to create printing plates from. My hope is to incorporate all these ideas into a new body of work.”
Felicia Touhey is a prolific artist who has leveraged her love for printmaking to create exquisite works of art. She is an artist to know.
Learn more about her at www.feliciatouhey.com
Michael Rose is a multi-talented fine art professional based in Southern New England. Since 2014 he has served as the gallery manager at the historic Providence Art Club, one of the nation’s oldest arts organizations. Through his current freelance work he advises collectors and artists, provides appraisal services, teaches, and completes curatorial projects.
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