The Bela Gallery’s mission is to educate and inspire the young, the old, the rich and the poor by having the work of great and seasoned artists as well as the young and learning artist. Therefore, our goal is to offer classes taught by accomplished artists in many media’s to students of all ages and skill: to hang in our gallery the work of the teachers and the students.
I still remember when I was a young girl around seven or eight years old. I had discovered the art of doodling and creating little things like flower, animals and faces. Then, one day I expanded my efforts when I found a coloring book that had Donald Duck and his nephews on the cover. I began working to recreate what I saw on the cover of that book. I remember being pleased because when it was done I could see the likeness. But what I will never forget is when my father came to visit and I showed him the picture. He exclaimed, in an astonished voice, “You did this?” I nodded with excitement in the affirmative. “This is really good. You did it all by your self?” he asked. I can still remember the feeling of excitement and pride I felt as I acknowledged that, yes, indeed I have done it myself.
It was not until I began my Junior year at Morgan High School that I received any formal training. We had and astounding teacher by the name of Mr. Wright and after two years of his tutelage and encouragement I was hooked for life. I can still remember sitting at my desk doing watercolor wheels while he showed us the works of the masters and talked about what was unique about each of their works. Then, one by one he would hold them up until one of us correctly identified the artist and what his “signature” was. Van Dyke, Monet….. and we would go on: learning the color wheel while water coloring and the artists by sight and repetition. But the exhilarating moments in his class were when he would look at my work, nod his head and quietly say, “Good, very good.”
It is Bela Gallery’s desire to recreate those kinds of experiences in the lives of others.
Do I remember the color wheel? Yes. Do I remember every artist name or style? Not really. Was the picture I drew really that good or was my dad faking it a bit? Was Mr. Wright just encouraging me? I really don’t know. What I do know was that they gave me a gift that has been never ending. The belief that I could create and that it was good!
In the Bible we read that when God finished his six days of creation he saw that it was “good”. How empowering those words are. “It is good.”
It is the goal of Bella Gallery to surround our young new and maybe not so young and not so new artists by the work of great and successful artists that can inspire and emulate for them something to aspire too, and while they are in the process, have someone teaching and encouraging them, saying “it is good.”
We desire to present in our gallery the works of those who remember those same kind of moments, and remember those first years of creation and learning and growing; artists who have the desire to be a model to those still in the seed stage, or maybe in bud form about to blossom. We are seeking accomplished successful artists that want to be a part of the sunshine and water to nurture and help others to grow: artists willing to give up a Saturday once or twice a year and do their creating in our gallery while others watch their creative style as they bring forth something “good”. We desire to instill in the creator and the observer, a mutual appreciation for each other.
I’ve been told that we don’t have a very good recipe for success; that 90% of new galleries fail, that the ones who succeed have an already established area with a lot of traffic flow and known and successful artists. At present we have neither. What we do have is a beautiful building and two established and committed artists. However, this is not enough. We need a greater variety of medium styles so we are putting out this call for established and great artists whose work is “good” who are willing to take a chance on a new gallery with a different model, a director with minimal experience to speak of, but a lot of tenacity and a strong belief in the willingness of the “successful’ and “well established” to want to nurture and help the “beginners. Do you fit in that category? We plan to “create” traffic flow and establish Bela Gallery as a “destination” point. Would you like to take that trip with us?
If you fit in the above category and want to make that trip call 801-623-8151 and ask for Carolyn My personal email address is carolynmosier@hotmail.com. Our website and business email is still under construction. Actually our whole project is still “under construction” and will probably be in a constant state of “remodeling.” Would you like to be one of the “finish” carpenters? If so use that phone number and email address. You are the ‘creator” we are looking for.
