John Bellinger, American, b. 1941
American landscape artist John W. Bellinger was born in 1941, in California. He grew up in Orange County and has witnessed vast changes in the grand California landscape. His beautiful and ethereal paintings are a legacy for future generations of art collectors and naturalists.
John’s passion is painting en plein air; creating harmonious landscapes that touch the heart of every art lover. His images invoke a sense of being there. One can almost feel the freshness in the air, the warm sunlit spaces and the coolness of the shade.
California is a land of immense beauty, where tall elegant trees, and lush shrubbery sidle up against open meadows, where the russet colors of the earth are softened with green tufts and wildflowers. It is clear why John returns to his native land again and again in his paintings.
When not painting in California, John travels to distant lands for inspiration. His well rounded portfolio of landscape images includes Tuscany. These are not the run of the mill trite images that one sees so much of these days, but rather Tuscan landscapes that are mature and sophisticated - quality paintings. The muted colors and softness of the sunlight in John’s Tuscany paintings invite the viewer in for a closer look, and then quietly holds onto the viewer’s attention.
In John’s paintings of the East Coast we enter yet another experience, the settled areas of the rural countryside. Cows graze under enormous umbrella-like trees, and small roads wind through the quiet land taking us with them. We long to be there, to take a walk, feel the earth under our feet, and smell the musky scents of the countryside. Take a look around at the weathered pines and mighty oaks which have been here longer than we have and which will remain long after we are gone; we are blessed to see such goodness in art, and we feel the full measure of it.
John’s style of painting has great depth and color, undulating hillsides travel off into the far horizons taking the viewer on a visual and spiritual journey. Using oil on fine linen and linen-board he offers us nature’s finest and most sincere landscapes. The peaceful settings of his paintings create a welcome calming effect to every space they inhabit.
Education:
Bachelor of Science, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA
Masters of Science, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
Art Education:
Studied under Barbara Gough Nuss, Nuss Fine Arts, Maryland (1993-1996)
Intensive Oil Painting Plein Air Landscape Workshops:
Insalaco/Vinson - September 2004, San Gimignano, Tuscany Italy
Scott Christensen (10-day intensive) May 2004, Wyoming
Skip Whitcomb - March 2004, Arizona
Wm. Scott Jennings - May 2000, Arizona
Ray Roberts - February 2000, Arizona
Ralph Oberg - December 1999, Arizona
Albert Handell - August 1999, Maryland
Matt Smith - May 1999, Texas
Barbara Gough Nuss - August 1998, Pennsylvania
Kevin Macpherson - September 1997, New York; September 1998, Virginia
Morgan Samuel Price - May 1996, New Mexico
Juried Memberships:
Landscape Artists International
Washington Society of Landscape Painters, Washington, D.C. (President, 2003-2005)
Oil Painters of America
Allied Artists of America
National Academy of Professional Plein Air Painters
Exhibited at World Art Gallery, Ladera Ranch, CA 2007 - 2008
Artist's Statement:
I am a representational landscape painter, painting in oils in a “painterly” style. I prefer to paint on location (en plein-air), where all the "answers" are in front of me and the adrenalin and excitement can carry over into the painting. I know I only have two or three hours at most to capture the scene. Consequently, paintings done on location are usually smaller than studio works. I prefer to paint in more rural settings, where nature is still relatively untouched. I also enjoy painting in the studio from small field studies done on location. I use a very limited palette - just the three primaries and sometimes veridian green (plus white, of course). Consequently, the colors in my paintings naturally harmonize, being mixed from the same colors. I stress composition in my paintings and look for dynamic, strong settings and lighting.
