(Artwork by John Bell)
John Bell is a painter who has spent a career influencing some of the most iconic pieces of media that many of us grew up with. From designing cars in Detroit and Nike shoes in Oregon to his work as a special effects artist/concept artist for studios like Atari, Lucas Films, Dreamworks and Electronic Arts, John’s artistry has helped him create an impressively expansive portfolio of iconic work.
John grew up in a neighborhood in New Jersey in the 60s, an era characterized by an emerging car culture, and the artistry behind the classic vehicles that helped define style for a generation. His first foray into the world of art involved sketching these cars, and as a teenager, he was introduced to the world of drag racing. John started to make money with his art at a young age, drawing the cars he saw on the dragstrip and selling the drawings to the drivers.
John’s father knew his son had a penchant for drawing, and decided to connect him with an educational opportunity that would change his life. “My dad knew that I liked to draw cars,” said John. “He was on a business trip in California and he met some people who told him about the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. They had a specific program for people who wanted to make a career out of designing cars, so he came back, told me about it, and I provided them with a portfolio. I got accepted, attended the school, and upon graduation, got a job designing cars for General Motors in Detroit in the early 80s.”
Despite getting a position that might sound like a dream to someone who loves to draw cars, John said he remembers feeling a bit disillusioned, finding himself surrounded by older designers who mostly lived in the past, remembering the glory days of GM and Detroit, instead of looking to the future. He mentioned how most people out of college are excited and motivated to have their impact felt and “shake things up,” but his work environment out of college did not feel conducive to that mindset.
As timing would have it, John got a call from an old college friend from out of the blue. The friend was working for Atari in San Francisco, and after a visit to the city, John got hired and began his creative journey into media. This career led him to work as a special effects artist and concept artist on films like Star Trek IV: A Voyage Home, Back to the Future Part II and III, Jurassic Park, Antz, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Rango, Starship Troopers, Men in Black and many more.
After an impressive career helping shape the style of movies, video games, cars and even Nike shoes (a job John took from 1993-1994), John wanted to make art that was truly for himself. In 2018, he recalls reading the life story of an artist from Arizona named Ed Mell. John felt subtle similarities between his own life and Ed’s life story. He reached out to Ed, not expecting to get much of any response, but actually ended up getting Ed on the phone and talking about life and art for over an hour.
This helped inspire John to do his own paintings in 2018, and he’s been doing them ever since. John’s recent paintings can be described as Mid-Century Modern, with a touch of abstract, and a flair for the American Southwest.
“I’ve always been drawn to more graphic images, with solid colors and clean lines, giving an impression of something without being overly literal with it,” he said. “That’s what I loved about Ed’s work, his cubist landscapes, specifically. With my automotive background, I love that geometry, those accelerated lines. Over time, my paintings got more simplistic, more deconstructed, and I fell in love with those forms; to paint them, sculpt them, and see what becomes of them.”
John’s series of paintings titled Planet Life explores his more abstract and visually graphic nature. Many pieces are Southwest-inspired, exploring the architectural design of Pueblo houses, and the geometric nature of succulents, cacti and the many red rocks that define the landscape.
Looking back on his career in art, John tells others to just go for it. He first made money with his art by drawing things he liked and asking people if they wanted to buy them. He cold-called Lucas Films and launched a career as a creative. An important lesson from John’s work is just that: creatives need to just be creative, for the sake of creativity and expression. “You just have to do it,” he says. “I tell my kids now, ‘If you’re choosing to focus on something, just put yourself out there and do it.’”