by Laura Kepner
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The Morean’s Tommy Bell
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NEA/Pinellas Recovers Grant Update
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Tommy Bell is a musician, teacher, stand-up-comedian – and he can’t remember a time when he wasn’t a visual artist. “It’s been all kinds of art on and off since I was born, really.”
Bell teaches at the Morean Arts Center and believes that to become proficient in anything, foundation must be the initial focus in any creative endeavor.
“I played the drums for a living my whole life,” he says. “It’s the thing I became the best at. I also taught lessons. If you want to learn something amazing as a drummer, you look at Buddy Rich. You realize he was just using the fundamentals and taking them to the limit.”
While he’s shifted from teaching drums to teaching visual art, Bell continues to focus on the ABC’s of each process in the way he mentors and instructs. He’s looking forward to the Morean’s winter session, which starts February 27 and will run through April 9. He will also teach during the spring session, from April 17 to May 28.
His classes include painting, landscape painting, drawing, and he’s offering Art Lab to mentor artists in their current works, no matter their chosen medium or level of expertise.
Bell earned a BFA at the Ringling College of Art + Design in Sarasota. He admits that his art is personal and he does most of it for himself. “It used to bother me,” he says. “In college you have to pick a thesis – paint one thing, pick a style. It was hard for me.
“I like cartooning, zany art, irreverent art, art that offends, art that makes you think. I also appreciate beautiful serene eye candy, like works by John Singer Sargent. I love the beauty of his paintings. I also love Francis Bacon. He painted terrifying imagery. I appreciate everything.”
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Most of Bell’s paintings are quick, one-hour pieces, maybe even a half-hour – while others develop over a series of weeks. But they all reflect his appreciation for different styles and use of color. His landscapes have the ability to transport the viewer to a treasured silence of time and place while his portraits, both spot-on realistic or impressionistic, all seem to focus on the vibrancy of character.
“When I teach, I focus on nothing but the ABC’s, the foundational studies. Personally, I do dive deep into eccentric areas of art and I’m also willing to share that,” he says.
“I’ll even be teaching kids for two weeks of summer camp,” Bell continues. “It’s one of the greatest jobs. Sounds corny but teaching at the Morean — it’s fulfilling. It’s genuinely one of the bright spots of my life.”
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And of course, there is laughter
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Tommy Bell is in his seventh year doing standup. “For two years now I’ve been doing comedy full-time,” he says. “They say it takes ten years to get good.”
But Bell never brings his comedy into his music or visual art. “I don’t like it when comics are always onstage,” he says. “I like to bring humor into everything, but teaching art means we are there to make art.
“The class I’m teaching right now is open for beginners to advanced. I never say, you need to make that straighter. I might say, do you think that is straight enough?”
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Bell doesn’t care what materials or knowledge students already have
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“Quite honestly, there’s always a way to make art. I’ve always got a box of paints they can borrow if they need it.”
Bell pauses before continuing. “I do this because I love it. I have taught when only two students signed up. They’re not coming in for nothing. I love making art together and meeting people.
“It’s one of the few things I do that’s not ruining the world – I’m not pushing exhaust out of a pipe when making art. It’s just good all the way around. It’s good for the soul. Really, it’s just a beautiful thing.”
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moreanartscenter.org/classes
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tommybellcomedy.com
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