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Art ‘rock star’ leads portrait painting class in area

Felicia Forte spent each morning giving a demonstration of her technique to the students, who put those new skills to work in the afternoons.
Felicia Forte spent each morning giving a demonstration of her technique to the students, who put those new skills to work in the afternoons. Felicia Forte spent each morning giving a demonstration of her technique to the students, who put those new skills to work in the afternoons.

By Barry Courter 3 min read

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Felicia Forte, foreground, is a representational oil painter based in Detroit. She is also an instructor of drawing and painting who has taught at various institutions including the de Young Museum of Fine Art and the Walt Disney Family Museum.

Townsend Atelier owner Peggy Townsend calls Felicia Forte a “rock star” in the contemporary painting world, and that “we are really lucky to have her in Chattanooga.”

Forte teaches about five workshops a year, including one recently in Spain, and was at Townsend last weekend to teach portrait painting with live models to a dozen students from around the country. They came from Texas, Illinois, Massachusetts and Nashville.

Gypsy Perry, a student at Nashville School of the Arts, actually played hooky on Friday to attend. This was a new experience for her and an opportunity she didn’t want to pass up.

“I’ve never done like a real workshop with a real artist,” she said.