Bella Wattles
Bella Wattles is an emerging, self-taught artist based in Philadelphia, recognized for her maximalist, whimsical still life compositions. Drawing on themes of nostalgia and femininity, her work blends narrative elements, creating intimate vignettes where the cast of characters come to life. She has participated in group and duo shows in Greenville, SC, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and New York, and is represented by Art and Light Gallery in Greenville, SC.
Artist Statement
I paint to tell stories, using a narrative approach to still life that reveals beauty in the mundane. Symbol-laden objects create emotional landscapes, each piece reflecting the imagined world of these items. Through my work, I seek to offer a momentary escape from the anxieties of everyday life, drawing viewers into colorful, whimsical compositions.
My paintings are designed to captivate and engage, drawing on the tradition of European still life to emphasize the significance of each object. Inspired by my love of reading and storytelling, I infuse my work with a sense of performance, where familiar items take on new roles and meanings. The objects I call my characters are recognizable: plastic dinosaurs, wooden bunnies, golden beetles, and stacks of books that evoke shared experiences. Yet, when placed together, their composition invites viewers to activate their imagination.
Fantastical elements often emerge through altered scales or unexpected juxtapositions, transforming what might appear to be the contents of a junk drawer or a child’s playroom into actors on a stage. I use heightened saturation to convey mood, with color acting as the stage direction, guiding the viewer’s emotional response. Cinematic lighting further enhances the tension and interplay between the components of my arrangements, serving as the dialogue in each scene. By blending the ordinary with the extraordinary, my work aims to spark curiosity and offer moments of wonder, creating a space where the viewer can pause and discover beauty in the unexpected.
In my practice, I strive to merge the familiar with the fantastical, inviting viewers into a world where everyday objects transcend their ordinary roles to become storytellers and performers. By blending the rich traditions of European still life painting with the imaginative lens of magical realism, I aim to evoke curiosity, wonder, and a sense of escape. Each composition is a visual narrative, where color, light, and symbolism weave together to transform mundane objects into vibrant characters with stories to tell.
https://wyeth.studio/
