Jeremy G. Bell
- ABOUT
- BIOGRAPHY
- STATEMENT
- EXHIBITIONS
Jeremy G. Bell is best known for his complexly layered portraits of contemporary Black subjects. Using charcoal, acrylic, oil paint, spray paint, ink, wax and more, Bell's works challenge and reclaim the narrative of what it means to be a Black American. Bell is particularly drawn to portraiture for its power to express the human experience, and the connection and understanding that we can find within it. Bell describes his work as “alluding to more than what it on the visible surface”. This idea reveals itself through Bell’s unique blend of realism and abstraction. By combining precisely rendered subjects, painterly abstraction, and potent symbolism, Bell attempts to capture the essence of what makes us human. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Bell served in United States Air Force before he went on to receive his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting and drawing from the University of Tampa, and his Master of Fine Arts from Montclair State University in New Jersey. Bell’s work has been exhibited throughout the United States, and is held in private and public collections, including the City of Seattle and Nelson Mandela Elementary in Omaha, NE. He presented the solo exhibition, “Utopian Blackness,” at the Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) in 2019.
“My art aims to reclaim my narrative of what it means to be Black in America today. I was once told my work was powerful and I was deeply captivated by the idea that I could be powerful with an image. In many ways, it is the only space in the contemporary world that I am allowed to be powerful. Abstraction provides this random element, which always keeps things new and fresh for me. I’m always interested in the way the paint falls on the canvas, the type of conversation that goes back and forth between me and the work. My work is in response to my environment, while also aiming to acknowledge, highlight and counter current perceptions. Recurring themes include beauty, the insinuation of a creator, Blackness, tenderness, strength, and vulnerability. Ultimately, I want to connect with the viewer’s mind and heart in a personal way. I know I have been successful when the viewer experiences a new perspective, but also finds something about themselves within the work.” Jeremy G. Bell, 2021