JOHN M. BELL
Sign Language
These works utilize common roadside sign imagery (sometimes combined with landscape) in layered and textural compositions that reference travel, the passing of time, and automobile-centered American culture.
Some of my earliest visual memories are of the mysterious graphic imagery of disembodied signs floating past as our Ford station wagon rolled down the road. Another influence comes from my work as a sign painter in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania and the San Francisco Bay area of California in the 1980's. (Left Click on Image for Slide Show)
 Military HardwareAcrylic on Canvas (Private Collection) |  Cover The EarthOil and Sand on Canvas (Private Collection) |
|---|---|
 CrossingAcrylic and Sand on Panel 16" in Diameter |  DepartureAcrylic on Canvas (Private Collection) |
 Warning Signs - TwilightAcrylic on Canvas 12" x 28" |  Warning Signs - IndecisionAcrylic on Canvas 16" x 20" |
 Turning PointAcrylic on Canvas 18" x 45" |  Warning Signs: OmenAcrylic and Sand on Canvas 24" x 16" |
 Yin/YangAcrylic and Sand on Panel (Private Collection) |  Endangered SpeciesAcrylic and Sand on Canvas 18" x 18" (Private Collection) |
 Global WarningAcrylic on Canvas (Private Collection) |  Baling OutAcrylic on Canvas (Private Collection) |
 Ice Men (The Best Friends)Oil on Canvas 20" x 36" |  Saint Nick (Retired)Acrylic on Panel 15" x 21" |
 The Birth of Mr. SofteeAcrylic on Canvas 16" x 22" |  PerspectiveOil on Canvas 16" x 22" |
 VisionAcrylic on Canvas 16" x 22" |