Felicite Briggs and Stephen Carroll

“Symbiosis”

When first observing our work, viewers may be struck by the obvious differences within each of our approaches, medium and subject.  But for us this very difference is what creates a symbiosis.

Felicite works with coloured pencil on paper, with precision, sharpness and realistic detail.

Stephen works with Japanese ink (sumi) and Japanese pigment on traditional surfaces with traditional subject matter using only the essence of the subject.

For us it is not just how a subject or object looks, is rendered, and finally produced.  It is here where we both meet and diverge.  We both depict elements of life, but from differing internal perspectives.  We both strive to capture the subject but in doing so highlight the “otherness" of both our work and the “sameness" of the subject.  For us, it puts into relief what do we actually see when we look, and how does that express itself in our work?

Purchase Felicite Briggs Works online

Purchase Stephen Carroll Works online

Felicite Brigg’s Bio

Felicite Briggs completed her tertiary education in fine arts in Sydney, majoring in drawing, painting and printmaking. Living and working in the inner-city in Sydney for most of her life, she recently swapped that hectic lifestyle for a much quieter existence, in the Southern Tablelands of NSW.  Her days are now spent in her studio, where time has allowed her to rekindle her artistic practice after a long hiatus.   

Currently Felicite’s preferred medium is coloured pencils. She loves their portability, vibrant colour range, and the level of detail she can achieve with them in her work.  She also works in watercolours and printmaking.  

Felicite was awarded first and second prizes in the Goulburn and District Annual Art Prize in 2022 and 2023 respectively.  She was a finalist in the Mini Series Art Prize at the Corner Store Gallery in 2023, and had two entries longlisted in the Jackson’s Painting Prize (London, UK) in 2023. Her works have also appeared in several regional art shows and are retained in private collections.

Stephen Carroll’s Bio

Stephen Carroll is an Australian artist working in the medium of sumi-e and Chinese brush painting. Stephen undertook training with Janet Twigg-Patterson in Canberra, Australia (Red Crane Gallery), in Japan where he met Ransui Yakata, in China with Mr Pi and continues working with Harumi Kobayashi, director of the international Association of Sumi, Japan. Stephen became the first Australian director of the International Chinese Calligraphic and Brush Painters Society (ICCPS), and is now the Australian advisor. Stephen curated an ICCPS exhibition of international artists for the Orange Regional Art Gallery, NSW Australia. As well as exhibiting in China, Japan and Australia Stephen was invited in 2023 to exhibit in the Nippon Suibokuga Art Association Exhibition at the Hirakushi Denchu Art Museum of Art, Okayama Japan, to commemorate Sesshu, the founder of sumi-e  and was an invited artist at the Art Beyond Boundaries exhibition (International Association of Sumi Japan), at the National Art Center, Tokyo, Japan, where he was awarded the International Honour Award for 2024. Stephen’s work is held in public and private collections and he teaches and exhibits on a regular basis.

https://stephencarrollart.com.au