Shasta Daisies by Jo Belmont, WSI

Watercolor on paper
Painting:  8.5 x 12 inches
Framed:  15 x 18.5 inches

"Born and raised in Indiana, I was lucky enough to grow up having parents and grandparents who appreciated art. My paternal grandmother was an oil painter and my maternal grandmother like to do botanical drawings. I have been drawing since I can remember. I took as many art classes as I could in high school and went on to major in art in college. It was in college that I took my first formal watercolor class with Dr. Lynn E. Trank.

From then on I was hooked on watercolor.   Later in life I took a class at the then Indianapolis Art League and studied with Shirley Werner Carr. My two artistic loves have been watercolor and clay. Early on I painted in a very abstract style, experimenting with paint and what it could do. As I have aged, my style has become more realistic to the point of hyper-realistism. I love detail, detail, detail, and high contrast of light and the play of light on objects. The dramatic lighting of the Baroque period in art history, combined with the infinite detail used by the 16^th century Dutch and Flemish painters are characteristics that inspire me and I try to incorporate in my work.

I taught at Mt. Vernon High School, Fortville, Indiana, for 31 years. It was a wonderful time and one of my greatest pleasures as a teacher is to see the trail of art educators, illustrators, photographers, graphic artists, and professional artists who have followed in my wake. In 2006 my husband and I retired to Mexico, where we lived for six years. There I devoted myself to art full time. To be an artist in Mexico is quite a different experience than in the U.S. In Mexico I worked in clay, being inspired by the ancient Mesoamerican cultures. I created over twenty full sized handbuilt ceramic masks based on myths and legends of the ancient cultures of that country. I also painted during that time, switching from one medium to the other.

Since 2012 we have been back in the U.S. and watercolor has been my primary medium. My subjects range from florals, still life, landscapes, and occasionally animals. Visual art remains the strongest contender in how I share my thoughts and experiences. I think of my work as remembrances in time, of places I have traveled, of encountered experiences and beauty. I enjoy painting the ordinary in hopes the viewer will pause and notice things that are often overlooked. The intrigue of simple things is often lost to many. I like to challenge myself to create complex and beautiful images with simple subjects.

Painting for me is not just about technique and abilities but getting pleasure from the process and the final project, starting with the things and places I have enjoyed. That is what drives me to paint. Paint gives a voice to images without the use of words."