Meet the Artist: Kieran Bell from Magherafelt

Socials: @ Art By Kieran B

Self-taught local artist Kieran Bell talks to Aoife McManus about his inspirations behind his artwork, his artistic process and his hopes for the future. 

Tell me a bit about how you got started doing artwork?

In late 2018, I discovered a guy painting one night on the TV. His name was Bob Ross and it fascinated me how he could paint and make it look so simple and elegant – I was a fool for thinking I would love to try that but I knew nothing about art since high school and I didn’t enjoy it at that time. I watched for weeks and then one random Sunday afternoon an old movie favourite came on the TV. It was the John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara movie ‘The Quiet Man’ and it’s one I have loved for many years. During the movie, I thought how nice it would be to paint the old cottage in the movie and that set me off….Within a few days I noticed some paints and different things available for sale in my local Aldi (I lived in Scotland at the time) and so I spent some money and bought some art gear. Well now, I struggled for a long time but vowed that I would practice until I was good enough to paint the cottage from the movie and every evening I would watch Bob Ross on the TV painting with his oils and I would try to replicate it with my acrylic paints – I failed many times and became very frustrated, but I have never been one to shy away from a challenge and so I started to watch hundreds of youtube painting tutorials and I practiced every day, even if it was only for an hour.

18 months later, I painted my 1st ‘White O’Morn’ cottage from the movie. I still look at it with pride when I visit my father’s home, but I can see all the errors etc from my technique and my lack of skills and experience. I am however very proud of the fact that I spent 18 months trying to learn and improve every day just so I could be confident enough to paint it in the 1st place. I painted it in acrylics and I have vowed to redo it in my now preferred medium of watercolour, but I have not got around to it yet, but I will soon.

Who/what inspires your work?

I take inspiration from many things, I love architecture, nature, the sea and the world around me in general. When I look at art, I adore the stunning landscapes and seascapes painted by the likes of John Constable and William Turner. I do visit as many galleries and exhibitions as I can to take inspiration – they are a haven for an aspiring artist but sometimes also a great reminder to keep practicing every day.

The first time I ever really noticed art was as a young teenage boy visiting the Vatican and I was in absolute awe not only of the architecture but also of the art work on the likes of the Sistene chapel by Michaelangelo – I couldn’t fathom how anyone could do that and even yet, it’s an incredible piece of art.

Aspiring infant artists like myself can only hope to mimic the great masters of the past. I also love Leonardo DaVinci’s Vitruvian Man sketch, I actually have it on the cover of my current sketch book – it’s a great reminder of what can be achieved with focus and he was of course an engineer just as I am in my professional career.

Can you describe your artist process eg. What techniques and products do you use?

I have tried numerous techniques over the past 7 years, I started with the acrylics and some oil pastels, then I tried soft pastels but I did struggle with the pastels as I had no formal knowledge and found it hard to follow the tutorials online. My fat fingers definitely didn’t help but at least I tried lol. I came back home to live in NI in 2021 and that year I was given an opportunity to try watercolours for the first time. I had always avoided them as I knew enough from my research that they were very unforgiving and as I was teaching myself I didn’t want to waste time and materials but as someone pointed out to me the following year, ‘it’s only paper Kieran’. That changed my whole perspective and I have never looked back. So I took that one day training course and I fell in love with it instantly. I have never painted in acrylics since that time. I did try but became very frustrated as the watercolours just flow and are a joy to use and it seems I had forgotten how to paint with acrylics, very bizarre but I never wanted to try again. 

Last year I took several workshops on creating art using wet felting and needle felting. I really enjoyed the semi looseness of it compared to what I had done up to that point. A huge part of my watercolour learning is to relax enough to paint ‘loosely’. As the weeks and months pass by, I am becoming more relaxed and I believe that it shows in my art. The felting for me, is actually a great opportunity for me to relax because I am wired to paint perfection purely based on my professional career as a an engineer, sometimes its quite difficult to switch that off, but I will get there and in truth I still need that rigid discipline for what I plan to paint in the future – as I said earlier I love architecture and I have many buildings in mind to paint next year and the attention to detail that is engrained in my mind will help immensely with those tasks when I get there.

Earlier this year I took a workshop on learning how to paint with silk and I really loved it. It’s very different to anything else I have attempted but it shares many traits with watercolour painting, a light touch and gentle hand is a must for both mediums as well as the ability to think ahead about the final product since it’s very difficult to fix a mistake once it’s happened. I have since bought lots of silk art equipment and supplies and will look forward to creating many pieces in the year ahead. My favourite to date is a rather large 3 foot x 2 foot set of silk angel wings which hangs proudly above my fireplace.

ABOVE: Stunning angel wings painting by Kieran Bell 

Do you have a favourite painting you have done and why?

I have several for different reasons as they mark a distinct change in my

confidence but also my improving skills. I would say the painting I did of my sons Staffy ‘Diesel’ for his 2nd birthday is a standout piece in my collection. It is my favourite because of the time it took (27 hours), the attention to the detail without being up tight with it, the fact that it actually utilises many different skills that I have learned and it just shows, I don’t know how else to say it – it captures all of my skills and experience in that one piece and I love the fact that it does.

ABOVE: Painting of Kieran's sons Staffy ‘Diesel’ 

Do you ever get creative blocks and how do you deal with it?

Absolutely and in truth it happens more often than you would imagine. I tend to walk away from it for a few days or even a week if that’s what it needs. I go walking in nature, watch YouTube and flick through books, usually inspiration comes back quickly and it can also just be an encouraging word or suggestion from a friend or a tutor that sends you off on your merry way again. In the early days I used to get anxious about the block, but now I just see it as a time for rest and once rested, the inspiration usually comes back very quickly.

Do you have any goals you want to achieve as an artist?

I would love to have my art seen by a wider audience, perhaps in galleries etc. Everything comes to those who keep going and take chances. I have in fact booked my own exhibition slot for late next year in a semi local council venue. The thought of it is quite daunting as I have exhibited there before as a member of several art groups, however doing it alone is a whole new set of worries but I trust the art will be ready in time and appeals to as many people as possible. If you can make someone smile or relax into your painting, then you have done a good job.

Are there any challenges you face as an artist?

The biggest challenge is getting people to engage with you and appreciating just how much effort actually goes into it. For the past few years I would estimate that I have spent 40+ hours every week trying to improve my skills, the costs mount up too once you get serious about creating better art. Convincing someone to purchase a piece is nigh on impossible unless it truly grabs their attention.

In many ways artists sometimes have to sell their soul a little and work out what people like and then set about creating that type of art for selling. It can be counter intuitive to a creative mind but that’s the reality and bills need to be paid.

I also feel that many people probably struggle to find somewhere to go to learn as an adult. I have been very fortunate that I am now able to go to three different art group classes every week who use the same tutor – that continuity across each week is hugely valuable to me as it helps create consistency with my work but also allows my tutor to push me every week to explore my skills and talents deeper – I would not have that drive if I was just painting at home.