In my current work in progress, I have been toying around with a bright window behind my protagonist. This is inspired by the great Leland Bell.
*I should note that there is another artist named Leland Bell who's work is inspired from his Native American heritage, and his work looks very different than the Leland Bell I am referring to.
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| Leland Bell, Morning III 1985 Acrylic on canvas, 62x43 |
Leland Bell (September 17, 1922 – September 18, 1991) was an American
painter, who was introduced to me as an art student at Queens College in
NYC. (In fact, a may have even met him at an opening for his wife,
artist Louisa Matthíasdóttir… it was so darn long ago, I can’t be sure!)
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| Leland Bell, Frank O'Brian, 1979, Acrylic on canvas, 24x32 |
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| Leland Bell, Morning II 1985 Acrylic on canvas, 74x58 |
Bell has been a guide and an inspiration for me for so many years, I
find it surprising to see that there is an absolute dirge of information
and images about him on the internet. I was always under the impression
that he was famous.
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| Leland Bell, Skull and Plant, 1978, Acrylic on canvas 40x42 |
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| Leland Bell, Three Figures with Butterfly 1979-82, 52x102 |
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| Leland Bell, Ulla and Frank Playing Cards, 1975-78, Oil on canvas, 52x64 |
One of the things I share with Leland Bell is his obsessive repetition
of certain themes, creating many versions of the same basic image. He
also sometimes worked on one painting for many years.
I love the
way he simplifies, his use of that heavy black line, and his
compositions. I refer to him often as I am working on my art.
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| Leland Bell, Morning V 1985 Acrylic on canvas 71x56 |
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| Ulla, Temma, and Frank, 1978, Oil on canvas, 72x66 |
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