Tim Bell

Tim Bell began serious painting study with the well-known portrait painter Cedric Egeli in 1994 and assisted Cedric in teaching color painting at the Cape Cod School of Art. Tim studied briefly with Maryland Impressionist John Ebersberger, who introduced him to George T. Thurmond. It was Thurmond, a devoted student of the late Henry Hensche, who Tim credits with having taught him the principles of the Hensche method of painting.

A painting trip to Scotland in year 2006 was a significant turning point in Tim’s methods and style of painting.  It brought new ideas and a fresh vision as he added tonalist color theory to his palette.  Painting trips in following summers to Cape Cod, Gloucester, and Monhegan Island cemented these color theories as the best way to express the beauty he saw. Tim uses oils and a combination of palette knives and brushes on canvas to create his paintings that are a tribute to the rich artistic heritage of American Impressionism.

For a period of time Tim had the unique experience of working on a fishing boat on the Chesapeake Bay.  It was this experience that gave him an appreciation of the majesty and unique history of oyster boats under sail.  The Chesapeake Bay, the skipjacks, bugeyes and schooners that ply its waters are some of his favorite painting subjects. He also enjoys frequent painting trips to New England, Scotland and Italy.

Tim’s paintings have been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions. He is an active participant in plein air painting competitions and is a sought-after instructor for his oil painting workshops. His paintings hang in private collections throughout the United States and Great Britain and are also included in the collection of Frostburg State University. In 2004 Tim was honored to be juried into the "Sunlight and Shadow" exhibition at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. In the 2006 Paint Easton plein air painting competition, Tim Bell won the Grand Prize for his oil painting of skipjacks on the Chesapeake Bay. He has won many awards since then, including the 2009 Plein Air Easton Artists Choice Award and the Best Marine painting.

Selected Awards

2009   Artist’s Choice Award, Plein Air Easton, Easton, Maryland
2009   Best Marine Painting Award, Plein Air Easton, Easton, Maryland
2008   Second Place Award, Paint Wayne, Wayne, Pennsylvania
2008   Vanishing Landscape Award, Plein Air Easton, Easton, Maryland
2007   Pick of the Palette Award, Top Ten Contemporary Painters, Delaware Beach Life
2007   People’s Choice Award,  Plein Air Easton, Easton, Maryland
2007   People’s Choice Award,  Plein Air Easton, Easton, Maryland
2007   Best Use of Light Award,  Plein Air Easton, Easton, Maryland
2006   Grand Prize, Plein Air Easton, Easton, Maryland
2006   Best Marine Painting, Plein Air Easton, Easton, Maryland
2006   First Place, Rehoboth Beach Paint Out, Rehoboth, Delaware