||| FROM DAVE KOSIUR for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY |||
In an exhibit titled “Orcas Seen,” Richard Bell’s watercolor paintings will be displayed in the Orcas Island Library during the month of September.
Richard Bell’s artist’s statement:
My wife Mimi and I have owned a home on Orcas Island for 20 years. Our life is split between Orcas and Philadelphia; we are intensely fond of both. My career was in medicine and it was not until I retired in 2011 that I had time to take up painting seriously. Fortunately, Philadelphia has a handful of excellent art schools and I have taken advantage of that to study as an adult continuing education learner at both the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) and the Fleisher Art Memorial, an award-winning art school for the public since the 19th century.
I love Orcas Island and I have been painting there in the summers since 2011. I am constantly struck by the beauty of the island and I try to paint scenes that inspire me so that others may be able to share in the experience. For this reason, I have tried to continuously improve my work to communicate better. I’m inspired by the color, light, and clarity of Hopper and Winslow.
I painted in oils until 2020, when I switched to watercolors. I have been doing exclusively watercolors for the last 2
years and find the results quite gratifying in spite of the vagaries of the medium. I have been surprised by the richness that one can achieve with watercolor. I humbly hope that I can translate the beauty of Orcas Island into paintings that make people feel the awe that Orcas Island inspires.
