Artist José Bello
By Jessica Klarp
The Black Mountain Center for the Arts is hosting José Bello’s first gallery show. Titled Studies in Sacred Geometry, this mixed-media exploration of platonic solids and the seed of life opens with an artist’s reception on Friday, July 15, from 6–8 p.m., and runs through September 2.
The artist was born in a small town in Venezuela where he started his career in the Venezuelan Air Force painting massive canvases for his commander. After political unrest in the country in 1989, José left the military to begin Studio Arte Bello in Clearwater, Florida. He became both a hands-on artisan and a highend designer whose work appealed to architects, homebuilders, and homeowners.
Later settling in Black Mountain, José started pursuing the manifestation of his art in a more personal fashion. He found inspiration in the subject of sacred geometry, a topic he explores in this display through large wooden panels.
“I wanted a way to share my ideas about interconnectedness,” he says. “The panels are abstractions that allow me to express my own journey while studying the principles of sacred geometry.”
José creates the panels by first layering lime plaster, natural pigments, metal, exotic wood veneers, oils, and pastels. Next, he etches the surface with geometric shapes and spirals found in nature.
“What I do is universal,” José says. “It’s about where we are and where we could go as a species. Change comes from within. This is my awakening, my heart.”
The Black Mountain Center for the Arts is located at 225 W. State Street. The Upper Gallery is free and open to the public Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Learn more at blackmountainarts.org.
