Atlanta Artist Wynter Bell's artwork vibrantly reflects varied styles incorporating history and mythology

On the “City Lights” series “Speaking of Art,” local artists share insights into their influences, processes and experiences in town. Wynter Belle is an Atlanta-based painter whose work can be a challenge to pin down to one style, given how she follows her creative instincts through portraiture, surrealism, realism and even in the purely abstract. But all Wynter Belle’s pieces are vibrantly alive with color and personality. 

“They used to tell me stories; when I was a baby, they had to hide the markers because I used to draw all over the walls,” said Belle. Having recently earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from SCAD, Belle’s art practice today draws from history and mythology as she explores subjects like her ancestral iconography and textures like the geometry of African masks. “I like to describe my work as a journey of self-knowledge,” Belle said. “Sometimes I do self-portraiture similar to the concept of traditional African masks where they use this figure to represent an aspect of nature, an idea or even a historical event; so I use myself in that same nature.”

Born and raised in Atlanta, Belle says she didn’t exactly choose her home, but “Atlanta chose me… and this place has always resonated.” Though she’s stayed in the same place, Atlanta’s position as a gathering point for diverse cultures, art movements and music communities allows her to make contact with new people and ideas all the time.