Kit Bell Born in Vancouver, B.C. I attended the University of British Columbia, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in 1974.  While there, I had the opportunity to study under Tony Onley.  Throughout my life I have always drawn and painted and although I chose to follow my scientific side in my professional career, art always remained a strong interest.

I moved to Ottawa, Ontario after graduating from UBC where I began to paint landscapes in oils.  I was represented by the Inspiration Art Gallery in Ottawa and by the Firehall Gallery in Perth, Ontario.  I took the opportunity to study at the Ottawa School of Art and exhibited my work at the BCAL Clothesline Fair in Ottawa (a juried show) for several years. 

After moving to Kelowna, BC in 1992, the pressures of career prevented me from pursuing art for nearly 15 years.  Returning recently to painting, I discovered pastels and fell in love with the medium.  I find the feel and immediacy of pastels to be ideal for my current work.  I enjoy both painting on location and working in my studio.

I seek to record the transient effects of light and the seasons.  Nature is forever changing and at different times offers us special views into the world around us.  Using my camera to record images for reference later in the studio, I work quickly, employing a watercolour underpainting to which I add pastel.  These smaller paintings will often form the basis of larger work in the studio.