New Artist - Mike Bell

We have a new artist in the gallery, painter Mike Bell. Hailing from the Northumberland area of England, Mike was a teacher for 30 years, but has since fully devoted himself to painting. He's very intrigued by the contrast in nature of order and chaos. His paintings are highly textured studies of color, shape, and light. They will be hanging for First Friday on March 6th, so make sure you check them out when you stop by to see the opening of Olaf Starorypinski and Scott Nichol's show Contrasts.

Here are Mike's feelings about his work, in his own words: "I am inspired by 30 years living and working on the Northumberland coast and now in the wilds of Redesdale, near Scottish Borders. I’m fascinated by patterns of sand on the beach, piles of seaweed/driftwood order and chaos together. Images I create use a wide materials, sand, soil coal dust, driftwood are often embedded in the paint surface. I want paintings to be as natural as possible. I rarely use a brush, but rather fingers, knife, trowel, sand, spray paints plus lots of builder’s materials to create impasto surfaces. I experiment with holographic foils in paint to simulate wonderful light in Northumberland. Moving to Redesdale, I have been inspired and become aware of the interaction of man and nature, in the Otterburn Ranges military roads, bunkers and old tanks contrast with crags, quarries, moorland and forest to create a wonderful tapestry at different times of year. Rock strata, strange cloud formations, moody sunsets, reflections in rivers and lakes have me rushing for a sketchbook or camera. “The Land of Far Horizons” Northumberland has light which enhances the tactile quality of the landscape no matter what the season. I hope my work stimulates a wide range of perceptions and feelings for this “land of far horizons.” Other influences/artists I admire include Turner, John Blockley, Andy Goldsworthy, Cezanne, Tapies and many more."

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