Rising Stars: Meet Sylvia Feliz Sewell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sylvia Feliz Sewell.

Hi Sylvia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story? 
Born and raised in Tucson, AZ, I am a visual artist currently based in Los Angeles. As a fourth-generation Mexican Arizonan, my art is influenced by the desert landscape along with its mysticism and folklore. I work in a hybrid of collage, sculpture, and photo mediums. 

One of the earliest and most influential experiences in my life was taking a photography course in high school. I fell in love with capturing and developing 35mm film and the magic process of printing black & white photographs in the darkroom. Influenced by these courses, I went on to study fine art and conceptual photography at the University of Arizona. After graduating with a BFA, I moved to NYC to work in the commercial photography world. Here, I was also introduced to and immersed in the vibrant NYC art scene. I participated in many exhibits, from warehouse spaces to galleries in the DUMBO and Chelsea neighborhoods. After five years in NYC, I spent a short time back in Tucson and have been in LA for 8 years, working as photo retoucher in entertainment advertising and creating art in my studio near Chinatown. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
At the moment, balancing my work career with my artistic practice is a difficult endeavor. I work as a digital photo retoucher in advertising for movie posters and billboards. The hours can be long and demanding; thus, finding the time and motivation to make art is a constant balancing act. A harmony I have made between the two is my retouching work is strictly digital and done on a computer, while my artistic work is all analogue and made by hand. This gives me a distinct separateness between the two and a break from staring at a computer screen. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My artwork is influenced by my upbringing in the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona. I work in multiple mediums, such as collage, sculpture, and photography — sometimes, I combine all three. 

For the collages, I source imagery from Arizona Highways —a magazine that has been published since the 1920s, specializing in landscape photography of the Southwest. As well, I use photos from vintage Life magazines and books. I enjoy creating surreal utopian worlds within the collages. 

In my sculpture pieces I use found natural objects and minerals from the desert. I have an ongoing series of works in which I isolate minerals in resin and am working on a new series of cacti molds cast in resin. A relationship I explore within these pieces is the juxtaposition between resin, essentially plastic, and the delicate beauty of nature-made objects. 

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
In the most simplistic terms, I define success as getting to do what you love every day. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sylviafeliz.com
• Instagram: @sylviafeliz
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylviasewell