John Bell
Planet Life Paintings
July 1 - 28, 2024
Opening Reception
Friday, July 5, 2024
7 - 9 PM
With a love of car design, John received his BA in Transportation Design from Art Center in Pasadena and began his career at General Motors. He then moved to California to work at George Lucas' Industrial Light And Magic as a visual effects Art Director. His work at ILM contributed to numerous landmark special effects films including Back to the Future II & III, Jurassic Park, and many others. He has received numerous awards for his work in film including an Academy Award nomination and BAFTA.
John has worked for Electronic Arts on several popular video games. Some of his many advertising and product design clients include Nike, BMW, Samsung, New Belgium Brewing Co., Hasbro, and Mattel.
About his paintings, John says,
"In 2018 I began a series of paintings based on the forms and natural structures of the Southwest. I name this ongoing series ‘Planet Life’.
Throughout my life, I’ve been drawn to art and designs that have strong, graphic shapes, that are reminiscent of the real world, without it being so literal. This approach allows the viewer enough information to make the images feel familiar, while letting the mind to fill in the gaps with their own impressions.
Planet Life also doesn’t take itself too seriously. The forms and colors are somewhat playful, in a mid century modern sort of way."
