Paula Bellacera is a contemporary ceramic sculptor, painter, and print maker. She explores how domestic and wild animals literally and metaphorically mirror human nature reminding us that we share emotions and DNA. She is influenced by the simplicity of ancient and indigenous artists as well as by Jane Rosen’s elegant bird sculptures. Bellacera’s expressions range from whimsical to powerful, echoing wisdom from native observations of animals. Her creations help us appreciate how our connection with nature is deeply personal.
Bellacera received art training at various colleges and universities in California after completing a Ph.D. in experimental psychology at Tulane University in New Orleans. For three years, as a graduate psychology student, she observed animals in their natural habitat. This experience compelled her to further explore animals through art.
Since 1990 Bellacera has exhibited work domestically and internationally with over 40 solo/feature shows in cities such as: Santa Fe, Chicago, Katmandu, San Francisco, Denver, and Seattle. In 2014 she had a solo exhibition at the Morris Graves Museum in Eureka, CA. She has won several awards and has been featured in exhibition catalogs, books, and magazines. Bellacera has received public art grants and has been commissioned to create collections of work.
“The spontaneity of clay makes hand building a process of discovery -- full of surprises. My approach is a collaboration where the clay and I work together to discover hidden shapes and reveal emotions and personalities through animal forms. With my background in animal behavior studies and psychology I was drawn to explore animal/human connections through my art. Each of my sculpted animals has personality and expresses a unique character. In this work, my intention is to present the best of humanity through our animal friends and to help us laugh and love our differences and ourselves”
In Western culture, it’s common for an artist to sign or initial her name on pieces of original artwork. In Eastern culture it’s customary for an artist to create a chop, an identifying symbol. All my sculptures are “signed” with my chop. My initials before marriage were PAW which I thought was very cool, like a cat’s paw. My married name starts with a “B” which magically turned into a heart!
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