ARTIST BIO

Joseph Bellacera was born in Oakland, California. Although he lived in such diverse places as Montana, New York, and Boston, he mainly grew up in a small-town atmosphere in Northern California. He studied art at the Massachusetts College of Art and received an MA degree at Humboldt State University and an MFA degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Today Joseph divides his time between his residences in California and New Mexico.

Views of the Pacific Ocean, deserts of the southwest, aerial views of agricultural fields, ancient walls and mosaics from Europe and Asia, and intimate patterns of nature found in his garden all combine to inspire Bellacera. In his luminous abstract and landscape paintings radiant forms emerge and dissolve to evoke feelings of transcendence. In addition to acrylics and oils, he uses materials such as clay, wood putty, cement, and bio-resins, often treated with fire and water. Bellacera comments, “I use the alchemy of color and light to create the experience of seeing something, as if for the first time, before we define, name and categorize it. In this way, through painting, the mystery and awe of discovery and creation is continuously renewed.” The most profound artistic influences on Bellacera's work have been that of JMW Turner's emotional and atmospheric seascapes from the early 19th century; Kandinsky's early 20th century spiritual abstract improvisations; and the more recent work Sean Scully and James Turrell, a Southwest installation artist who works with light.

Joseph Bellacera has exhibited regularly since 1989. His artwork is in many private, corporate and public art collections throughout the United States.

ARTIST STATEMENT

As an artist, my primary earthly experience is the landscape. The most fundamental expression of this experience for me concerns the luminosity of light, patterns, texture, infinite space, and the horizon where heaven and earth meet.

RESUME

EDUCATION
1987 MFA, University of California Santa Barbara, CA
1982 MA Art Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA
1975 BA Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA
1971-1973 Massachusetts College of Art, Boston

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2009 Brush with Nature, Solomon Dubnick Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2009 New Works, Intel, Corporate Art Exhibit, Folsom, CA
2008 Fields of Light, Solomon Dubnick Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2007/06 New Works, Crossroads Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
2006 The Luminous Horizon & Beyond, Solomon Dubnick Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2004 New Worlds, The Art Foundry Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2004 Light on the Land, SMUD Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2004 Landscapes of Southern Italy, Barton Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2003 Himalayan Mandala, Siddhartha Gallery, Kathmandu, Nepal
2003 Tuscan Dreams, Barton Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2002 New Landscapes, Elliott Fouts Gallery, Granite Bay, CA
2002 Illumination, The Art Foundry, Sacramento, CA
2001 City of Rivers, California Arts Council, Sacramento, CA
2001 Radiant Spaces, Elliot Fouts Gallery, Granite Bay, CA
2001 A Favored Place, Pence Gallery, Davis, CA
2000 Air, Water, Earth, Elliott Fouts Gallery, Granite Bay, CA
2000 Light on The Horizon, The Art Foundry Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2000 Recent Paintings, Tower Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1999 Variations, Tower Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1998 New Landscapes, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
1996/95/92 Michael Himovitz Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1996 J.D. Neuman Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1995 Water, Fields & Skies, Quercia Gallery, Duncan Mills, CA
1992 Recent Monotypes, California State Capitol Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1989 Accurate Art Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1988 Fairfield Civic Arts Center, Fairfield, CA Structures II, University of California Art Museum, Santa Barbara, CA
1986 Structures, Brandon’s, Santa Barbara, CA

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2010 Gallery Artists Group Show, Patricia Carlisle Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM
2010 The Art of the Public Art, Gallery 625, Woodland, CA
2010/09/08 Gallery Artists Group Show, The James Ratliff Gallery, Sedona, AZ
2010/09/08 Gallery Artists Group Show, Handsel Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2009 Ouroboros, The Art of the Round, Solano Community College, Fairfield, CA
2009 Northern California Landscape, Fairfield Civic Arts Center, Fairfield, CA
2009/08/07/06 Solomon Dubnick Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2007 Yolo County Arts Council Gallery, Woodland, CA
2007/06/05 Gallery Artists Group Show, Crossroads Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
2006 Flatlanders, Richard Nelson Gallery, University of California, Davis, CA
2006/05/04 Sacramento Valley Landscape Exhibition, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2004 By Land and By Sea, Exploding Head Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2004 Northern California Landscape, Solano College, Suisun, CA
2004/2003 Walter Buehler Gallery, UC Davis, CA
2002 Summertime, Exploding Head Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2002 The Landscape, GwendaJay/Addington Gallery, Chicago, IL
2002 Bridges, Elliot Fouts Gallery, Granite Bay, CA
2002 Embassy Suites - Recent Commissions, The Art Foundry, Sacramento, CA
2001 California Visions, Smith Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2000 Over the Bridge, California Arts Council, Sacramento, CA
2000 The Exquisite Corpse, The Art Foundry Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2000 Still Life Exhibition, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2000 Land, Sky, Water, Tower Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2000 Click Plus, American River College Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2000 Over the Bridge, California Arts Council, Sacramento, CA
1999 Recent Still Lifes, Tower Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1999 Views of California, Tower Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1998 All Creatures, Great & Small, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
1998 Sacramento Valley Landscapes, Tower Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1997 Watermarks, Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento, CA
1995 Artful Urnz, Michael Himovitz Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1995 Landscapes, Real & Imaginary, California State Univ., Sacramento, CA
1995 Hand Held, Solano College Gallery, Suisun, CA
1994/93 California Landscape, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
1992 Group Landscapes, Himovitz/Miller Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1990 Artists for Amnesty International, Natsoulas/Novelozo Gallery, Davis, CA
1990/89 Accurate Art Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1989/88 Imagine, a traveling exhibit (U.S. & Europe), Sponsored by the Walter Library, U.S. International University, & Verbum Magazine, San Diego, CA
1988 Macintosh Computer Conference, Boston, MA
1987 West Coast Painters, University of Hawaii 1987 Lagoons, University of California, Santa Barbara
1983 Reese Bullen Gallery, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA

PUBLICATIONS
2007 Crossroads Contemporary & Kitchen Angels, Santa Fe, NM Monograph.
2006 Sacramento Valley Landscape Paintings, John Natsoulas Press. Exhibition catalog.
2006 Flatlanders, A Regional Roundup, Richard L. Nelson Gallery. Exhibition catalog.
2005 Sacramento Valley Landscape Paintings, John Natsoulas Press. Exhibition catalog.

ARTICLES
2010 Sacramento Magazine, “City Sketch: Joseph Bellacera" by Jan Ferris Heenan
2008 Sacramento Magazine, “My First Time” by Dayna Dunteman
2006 Sacramento Bee, “Mystery Lies in the Mist for Yolo Artist” by Anita Creamer
2003 Sacramento News & Review, “Painting the Tuscan Sun” by Tim White
2003 Davis Enterprise, “The Hypnotic Allure of Local Landscapes” by Marilyn Moyle
2001 Davis Enterprise, “Two Views of the Landscape” by Paul Dorn

SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Embassy Suites, Hyatt Regency, Hewlett-Packard, University of California Davis Medical Centers (Sacramento and Davis), Kaiser-Permanente Hospitals (Roseville, Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, Lincoln, Stockton), Renown Health Inc., Lodi Memorial Hospital, Sacramento County Primary Care Clinic, Sharma Hoffman & Associates, Carroll Burdick & McDonough Attorneys, Parker Development Co., Clarklift Team Power, Allstar Investments, Oglivy Worldwide, California Rice Commission, York Law Corporation, Northern California Bank of Sacramento, Pension Specialists, Inc

SELECTED COMMISSIONS AND GRANTS
2009 Arthur F. Turner Community Library, West Sacramento CA. Awarded commission to create dynamic exterior metal sculpture at entrance.
2009 West Sacramento Community Center, West Sacramento CA. Finalist in competition to create artwork for 30' skylight shaft and/or open stairwell which appears to hang in a glass case.
2009 Winters Library, Winters CA. Awarded commission to create large scale artwork for central information area.
2009 Lodi Memorial Hospital, Lodi CA. Awarded commission to create large scale artwork for waiting area in new wing.
2009 Sacramento Metropolitan Airport, Terminal B. Finalist in competition to create imagery for three glass central circulation pedestrian bridges.
2009 Sacramento Metropolitan Airport, Terminal B. Finalist in competition to create artwork for concourse floor installation.
2009 University of California Medical Center, Sacramento, CA. Awarded commission to create artwork for conference room.
2008 University of California Medical Center, Sacramento, CA. Finalist in competition to create signature wall installation for new wing.
2008 California Rice Growers Commission. Created artwork representing California’s rice agriculture to promote California’s participation in the international rice trade.
1998-2007 University of California Medical Center, Sacramento, CA. Created suites of images (approximately 30-40 pieces total) for the Sacramento/Davis campus as well as other locations throughout California.
1996-2007 Kaiser Permanente. Created suites of images (approximately 30-40 pieces total) for medical buildings and hospitals throughout California.
2007-08 Renown Health, Inc. Created suites of images (approximately 20 pieces total) for a new state-of-the-art hospital in Reno, NV.
2002 Embassy Suites. Commissioned through the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission to create four paintings for the hotel’s public art collection.
2001 Hyatt Regency. Created a large-scale riverscape representing the Sacramento region as a prominent visual welcome to hotel guests at the check in counter.
2000 California Environmental Protection Agency Building. Finalist in Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission Project. Led a three-member artist team and designed an array of photo-collage/composites, ceiling works/mobiles, and freestanding sculpture incorporating imagery of the team. 1999 North Highlands-Antelope Library Finalist in Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission Project. Led a three-member artist team and designed a floor-to-ceiling coil sculpture. Design and commission work (over 150 jobs in the private and public sectors): large-scale paintings; murals and large-scale graphics; sculptural elements; interior and exterior signage.