About the artist:

Art and history have always had a powerful hold on me. I consider the two to be intertwined and a strong component of my identity. When my ancestors settled in the Appalachian Mountains, they were looking for a land of their own. As they carved out an existence in the wilderness, their isolation and self-determination gave birth to an intimacy with the rugged hills. While their relationship with the land was a physical one, tempered by the plow and ax, I look to communicate my own connection with the landscape through painting. I find inspiration in the solidity of the rocks and mountains, the movement of cascading water, the texture of foliage, and the way that light interacts with these elements. It is my goal to compose paintings that invite the viewer to share in my perspective and envelop them with a sense of place. -Chris Bell Education: 2014 – Workshop with Charles Basham 2010 – 2013 – Western Carolina University (BS History, BSED Social Sciences) 2008 – 2009 – Apprenticeship with Julyan Davis Exhibitions: 2019 - Blue Ridge Realists, Hickory Museum of Art, Hickory, NC 2019 - En Plein Air, Blue Spiral 1, Asheville, NC 2017 - Art Prize, St. Marks Episcopal Church, Grand Rapids, MI 2017 - Small Works Show, The Shirt Factory Gallery, Glen Falls, NY 2016 - Holiday Show, The Castle Gallery, Fort Wayne, IN 2016 - Juried Exhibit (A Painting's a Painting No Matter How Small), TwoTen Fine Art, San Antonio, TX 2016 - Southern Appalachian Artist Guild Juried Exhibit, Blue Ridge, GA 2016 - Oil Painters of America National Salon, The Castle Gallery, Fort Wayne, IN 2015 - The Word as Art, The Bascom Center for Visual Art, Highlands, NC 2008 – Gardens in Bloom, Highlands, NC 2007 – Gardens in Bloom, Highlands, NC 2007 – Artist Invitational, 16 Patton Gallery, Asheville, NC Publications: 2015 – The Longleaf Pine, October Issue 2011 – Featured Artist, Smoky Mountain News Gallery Guide 2008 – Cover Artist, Rabun Laurel Magazine Affiliations: Oil Painters of America Blue Ridge Realists Courtesy of Chris Bell Fine Art at http://chrisbellstudio.com/about