Kari Bell

Part dream, part reality and part memory, I paint what I feel about what I see. I use oils and cold wax medium to create abstract paintings that reflect both my understanding and experience of living in the southwest. My process is like a superhighway with ideas flowing all the time until an exit says “get off”. This germination of ideas is ongoing, but I always sense when one is coming to fruition. For me, nothing is off limits; what I see is my truth. Helen Frankenthaler said, “In art, rules are meant to be broken.” I like to take it a step further. Breaking or bending the rules releases my creativity. Painting is the most challenging thing I’ve ever done and it is, as well, the most peaceful.

I am alternately fascinated, inspired, challenged and even at times appalled by what I feel living in the Southwest. Trained early as a sociologist, my reactions to living in the desert, southwest history and geography as well as many socio-cultural concerns flow into my work. To capture these elements in abstract fashion is demanding and gratifying.