Emerging artist Bella Hoare’s first solo exhibition

Back in June, emerging artist Bella Hoare showcased her artworks at The Oxo Tower, London. The first solo exhibition was called A Different Green and it focused on over 20 works that explored the beauty of the female form alongside closely observed natural references to forests, leaves and flowers.

The final art pieces Bella builds through successive layers of paint as well as the visible history of that image’s construction while her optimism shines through in a celebration of feminine beauty and power.

Plant life and the natural world are constant touchpoints for Bella. Her series of “green goddess” paintings offer a feminist take on the “green man” figure of medieval Pagan-Christian folklore and can be seen as a reminder of the possibilities of human and, more specifically, feminine intimacy with the natural world.

Her “Glasshouse” paintings feature five portraits of women from The Glasshouse – a social enterprise empowering female prisoners through horticultural training. A passionate supporter of The Glasshouse, Bella’s paintings are larger than life-size images. The scale her practice repeatedly turns to themes of renewal and hope.

Transitional colour palettes and expanses of lush vegetation hint at the turning of the seasons and the inevitable return of light and life from darkness. Under Bella’s brush, nature is not a benevolent force but a neutral one, indifferent to human lives but providing us with emotional and physical sustenance if we are willing to embrace its power.

As a child Bella spent long hours deep in the forests and gardens around Stourhead that surrounded her home. As an adult the seasonal renewal of life has supported her through challenging times. This positive relationship between nature and feminine power is celebrated throughout her work.

​Bella adds; “Colour is crucial as a way of expressing emotion. My memories of green light from deep in the spring-time forest, the vivid colours of summer flowers, or the infinite variety of browns and greys of mid-winter are all equally beautiful.

The intricately textured surfaces of my work evolves over months with many layers of oil and cold wax medium. Representational when viewed across a room or on screen; in proximity you appreciate the successive application of abstract marks. We are all more interesting the closer you look.”

About Bella Hoare

Bella Hoare has independently developed a distinctive style of painting, using modern cold wax medium with traditional oil paint to enable the construction of complex, multilayered works. Her emotional sensitivity to colour is supported by intense study, demonstrated by the numerous hand painted colour wheels and charts lining the walls of her studio.

She lives and works on the edge of the Stourhead Estate in Wiltshire, embedded in a richly forested landscape and is a keen gardener, and a fellow of the RHS.  This close bond with the seasonal cycles sustains and enriches her.

Throughout childhood, motherhood, widowhood and into a new chapter of her life the annual renewal of the natural world has taught Hoare that it is always possible to create a better future for yourself.

For more information about Bella’s art please visit bellahoare.com.

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