Wendy Bellermann

Born on Long Island, New York, Wendy Bellermann has always surrounded herself with animals and art. Living in the woods at the edge of the sea, she spent most of her childhood rambling with her dogs, horse, pony and donkey through the forest searching for natural beauty and creating structures from the stones, leaves, sticks and earth she encountered. She drew compulsively, trying to capture the beauty and mystery of the animals she encountered. Much of her time she felt more comfortable communicating with animals than people, which led to her creating portraits of the creatures around her. The chickens, oxen, horses and other creatures in her art engage the viewer with enormous character and an unshakeable sense of self-respect.

Bellermann also grew up with the mythology of her many-times-great uncle, Ferdinand Bellermann, a well-known German painter and naturalist of the 19th Century. He specialized in landscapes and portraits from Venezuela. She hopes that she, too, will capture the spirit and beauty of the world around her as her ancestor did.

Later in life Bellermann became part of the folk and blues scene in Maine. Her studio is never without music, primarily early blues musicians such as Son House and Robert Johnson. In painting these musicians, Bellermann utilizes a very high contrast style that contrasts starkly with the more realistic representations and bright colors of her animal