Art
is more than just paintings hanging in a gallery. Art can be found in more
mundane places, such as in department store windows. In NYC and other high
fashion cities, visual displays for the stores of top designers have certainly
been elevated to that of art. That is how Felix came to start working in this
industry, as many scenic designers do.
Felix’s
first foray into the world of window displays began with a Great Gatsby themed
Henri Bendel holiday window in October of 2012, not as a designer but creating
some of the elaborate pieces for the design. This was being created before,
during, and after Superstorm Sandy while Felix was living in Brooklyn. He
waited in long lines for the shuttle to Manhattan in dedication to his art, and
this wouldn’t be this last time he braved difficult conditions in the name of
art.
While
working for a company called LIV, Felix painted some astounding and outstanding
backdrops for the Ralph Lauren holiday window on 5th avenue. Felix’s
expert scenic painting technique made the flat canvas look like an elaborate
gilded velvet curtain.
When
his supervisors at LIV formed their own company, BigHeavy Studios, they knew
they needed to bring Felix on board. They said that they wouldn’t have been
able to start the company without him, and it was the only way they were able
to get accounts like Tory Burch and Club Monaco. One of the owners said that
Felix was the most talented artist and designer he had worked with in his 30
years in the business.
Felix
designed and created many incredible window displays during his time at
BigHeavy Studios including cardboard logs, plastic wine glass snowflakes, and
grey felt flowers for Club Monaco, and stunning birch trees for the Tory Burch
holiday windows at the top 5-6 stores internationally, but Felix was most proud
of his work on the Club Monaco installation at Grand Central Terminal described
in his Historic Preservation essay.
