Kent Bellows
Kent Bellows, Over the Mermaid Lounge, 1992, charcoal and graphite on paper, 18.5" x 31", collection of Dr. Ross and Kathleen Bellinghiere.
Kent Bellows was born in 1949 in Blair, Nebraska. He began to exhibit his work in Omaha in 1970 and worked as an internationally known artist until his death in 2005.
Kent Bellows works in a style often called “meticulous realism” for its great attention to detail in both drawing and painting. He was influenced by artists like Jan van Eyck who worked in the 15th century and Thomas Eakins who worked in the 19th century. He once said, “I felt like my real teachers were the older painters… I would go to Joslyn [Art Museum], and feel like I learned how to apply paint from what I saw down there.” Although Kent Bellows’ work is very realistic, he was reluctant to talk about the meaning of specific pieces of work. He said, “I think my pictures have stories behind them, but I like to leave a feeling of openness.” He wanted each viewer to look carefully at the work and come to his or her own conclusion about the story or meaning.
Kent’s family describes him as having a pencil in his hand from age two on. He always knew that he wanted to be an artist. He said, “ I can’t remember when I didn’t draw. My earliest sketches were signed by my mother because I hadn’t learned to write. In Kindergarten I was ‘that kid who could draw.’” As a child in elementary school, he drew monsters and war scenes. His friend made copies of these drawings on his father’s office copy machine, and the two sold the art to classmates for a nickel a piece. In junior high, Kent painted images on sweatshirts for his friends, and at fifteen, he was commissioned to paint a mural for a local restaurant.
