Connie Bellet

Connie Bellet

“Legends and Legacies”

Artist speaking again: Sunday, Feb. 19th at 2pm

The Gibbs Library in Washington, Maine is pleased to present an art show by Connie Bellet entitled “Legends and Legacies.” The artist’s talk will be on Sunday, February 19th  starting at 2pm.

Artist’s Statement

Connie Bellet has been drawing and painting since she could walk, mainly focusing on her animal friends at the St. Louis Zoo. It’s no wonder that she had a double major in Art and Biology at Grinnell College and the University of Minnesota. Upon moving to
Spokane, WA, she accepted a job as PR Director of the Walk in the Wild Zoo and was Assistant Manager of the Vanishing Species Pavilion at Expo ‘74, where she and her teacher, Rainbow Touraine, also hung a showing of their wildlife paintings.

Shortly after that, Connie teamed up with singer-songwriter Phil White Hawk, and she painted the Native legends and songs that White Hawk composed for their touring live multimedia concerts, collectively called Inspirada Americana. Several of these major
paintings are on display at the Gibbs Library from January 8 th through February.

Connie is also a modern master of the ancient art of scrimshaw, which will also be on display. She has carved designs on everything from elk teeth to walrus tusks and legal elephant ivory. Her wildlife scenes have gained an intercontinental audience and won prizes in international scrimshaw shows.

“My art is my legacy,” says Connie. “I want to bring beauty and an appreciation of nature to people through my art.”

For more information, please call the Gibbs Library at (207) 845-2663, info@gibbslibrary.org , or pwhitehawk@fairpoint.net

 

“Spoken For”

This oil painting (“Spoken For”) on masonite is another play on words, and does have a song that goes with it.  We use it as a teaching tool, as it is a representation of The Medicine Wheel.  The spokes are the cardinal directions, and every one has a time of day, life, season, and the 4 attributes of a person:  East represents Desire, the creation force of the universe.  The color is red or flame (this differs with tribes). The animal is the Eagle (the First Seer of the Dawn), the time of year is early spring. It is the beginning of all things, and represents creativity.  South is yellow and the animal is the mouse, sometimes the beaver.  The sun warms the Earth and small things soak it up. West is the Bear.  Bear goes to sleep and he dreams.  His dreams bring him Wisdom of Maturity and the Power of Healing.  North is the origin of the cleansing winds of winter, which come from the Spirit World.

“Between the Future and the Past” is oil on canvas with a velvet frame

“Life Force” colored pencil on paper

 

“Life Force” is colored pencil on paper, and expresses the innate joy of living things in the garden.

 

“Between the Future and the Past” is oil on canvas with a velvet frame. 

 

 

 

 

“Arthur” wood burned on cedar and colored with oil pencil

“Carry On,” 3′ by 4′ oil on masonite

“The Missing Lynx” wood burned piece on basswood with oil pencil coloring

“Arthur” is wood burned on cedar and colored with oil pencil.
 “The Missing Lynx” is another play on words.  Lynx are quite shy, so it’s very possible this youngster “went missing.”  It’s a smallish wood burned piece on basswood with oil pencil coloring.
“Carry On,” another 3′ by 4′ oil on masonite, was part of our concerts, and the story behind it is quite interesting.  In one sense, it is a play on the term “carrion” and on another it is a plea for peace.  You are in the tracks , and the onrushing Industrial Age is about to run over you if you don’t get off the Death Path.