Well a new year coming up and I will be starting my art blog http:\www.belitawilliamart.com as my art will now be very important to me. Something that took a 'back burner' place in my life... There were a lot of reasons for that, mainly I just didn't have the time from being married and raising a large family. The other was a 'Realist' in the 80s was not what it is today.
It was not a movement, it was a skill you learned to go into commercial fields. Portraiture, other than that, there was no real interest in it. Galleries wouldn't take it. There were no 'ATELIERS' and if there were, I never found them. Today is different! Art has finally taken a step back that is to say a step FORWARD! Classical art is re-defining! Beauty is coming back to art! Many new and young talent is emerging.
Anyway, a recap on my own life with art. I was drawing faces as soon as I could hold a pencil! Then I started drawing figures and illustrating stories at age 5. I distinctly remember a drawing of king Harod looking for Baby Jesus!
My mom started giving me library books on old masters and would say 'draw this!'
By age 10, I was quite proficient and started to train myself how to use oil paints. By age 11, I was ready to tackle my first large project. A four by eleven foot drawing on canvas of the last supper by Da Vinci. I used no mechanical aids. I just drew what I saw, on the floor of our then tiny apartment. I was never sent to art school, all self taught (later after meeting my Husband Tony, who was an Art Director at Ralph M Parsons, I was able to go 2 semesters to Art Center)
In grade school, I was constantly in trouble all because of Art. First I got in trouble because I brought my drawings of Michelangelos David. A third grader bringing in drawings of frontal nudes didn't go over too well! Then I was expelled for 2 weeks because I would rather draw than tackle my studies. I even got corporal punishment. High School was no different. I was a rebel... a loner... I drew caricatures of teachers I didn't like and submitted it as homework! I quit before graduating... I was miserable in school and just wanted to paint!
In all this time no one ever said, 'Hey this kid has talent! Get her a scholarship! Get her into an art School! (In those days there were no Mentors like today.) However, Ill back up a bit to me at age 12. There was a TV station that had a draw the Three Stooges contest. I entered and won! I beat adults! I won a badminton set and an interview with the Stooges in person! Moe Howard took an immediate interest in me and made me his protege. I made many paintings for him and the other Stooges and was on many TV programs with him. To this day I am very good friends with his daughter.
I made another huge painting at age 12 of God sending Baby Jesus to Earth. It took me a year to do. The guy at the art store would yell at my mom because he hated mounting such huge work! A year later I made a life sized portrait of my mother. Now I will speed up to my 20s! My husband was sent on family status to Saudi Arabia. I had a little one and was expecting #2.Word got around I could paint and the Oil Minister, Hasim Nazzer, commissioned me to do a painting of King Khalid for an upcoming Royal Dedication Ceremony. I was asked to present it to him in person. Something never done before! I later found out only three other foreign women had ever met Saudi (male) Royalty!
After 6 years in Saudi and another pregnancy, we came home! Life returned to normal and my art went nowhere. There were no art clubs that I knew of and no interest in realism. I got discouraged, bored and I was uninspired. My art literally came to an end. I did not paint again until 2004 when a friend asked me to paint her daughter! Seriously! I thought I forgot how to paint! All those years I was busy being 'Mom'... and I mean BUSY! Now my kids got older and I had a little time. I also learned how to use a computer and was I surprised to see what the Art world was like. All the Societies, Schools new Artists! And most importantly, that Realism was BIG!
Belita William joined Fine Art America on April 22nd, 2011.
