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B. 1967 in Canton, Ohio, John Bell’s child hood years were wrapped up in an obsession that would become his life long pursuit, art. Labeled “prodigy” at age 5 he was in private lessons rendering traditional figurative and still life charcoals and oils that bested older, more accomplished artists. “I believe artists are born, not taught” says contemporary, abstract artist John Bell. After graduating with a degree in visual communication from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 1987, he worked for a short time as an illustrator for Gem Studio’s in New York City. Returning to Ohio he landed a job as an art director for a prominent Cleveland ad agency. During that time he was honored with several prestigious industry awards; realizing that the ad world “was unsatisfying, to cut-throat and limiting to my other artistic pursuits” Bell explains. He moved west in 1989 where he sought adventure, freedom and the mind set to realize his other artistic interests in the mountains of Colorado, the north coast of California, and the deserts of Utah. In 1992 he settled in Salt Lake City, moonlighting as a highly sought after, accomplished graphic designer and photographer. For over 20 years Bell has continued to develop his current artistic style. It wasn’t until 2003; however that he decided that his work was ready for public exhibition where he participated in a group show. Within two weeks his paintings had all sold. Since then he has amassed an impressive body of work that employs multiple disciplines and creative expressions. His work combines the gestural elements of abstract expressionism with the linear qualities of geometric abstraction, the physicality and presence of large scale modern sculpture, kinetics, pop art and the ideas about space addressed in modern architecture. “My themes and imagery are always evolving, reflecting the times both past and present.” says Bell. Painting, print making, photography, sculpture and writing have all found their way into his work. “Over time I discovered that while these disciplines seemed to be parallel pursuits, they informed and influenced one another in many ways. Eventually it reached a point where the lines blurred and they started to become one.” explains Bell. “I like to think of this an interconvertible nature of artistic expression, which is as vast and full of possibility as we are individual.” Working in this way has paid off for Bell. His work has been placed in many prominent private collections throughout the east and west coasts. He will be featured in an upcoming editorial in Salt Lake City Magazine, hailed as an “artist on the rise.” His work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including his West Coast debut in Long Beach, Ca this past spring, a solo exhibition and mural commission at Time Warner Center in New York City. His work has been featured in a cover story for Utah Style & Design. He has received acknowledgements and reviews in Artists of Utah 15 bytes ezine publication, Salt Lake City Weekly, Artcotic.com, Catalyst, In Utah this week, Fox 13 News, Arkade magazine, NY art world, Artnet and Blackbook magazine. Bell is an award winning graphic designer and photographer. He received a degree in visual communication from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. He currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah. EXHIBITIONS: October 2008 - "5 x 5" Group Show Phillips Gallery, SLC Collections: Work in private collections through out the country. |