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My Friends
Oil on canvas, 36" x 44"
Bella Wattles is an emerging, self-taught artist based in Philadelphia, recognized for her narrative still life compositions. Drawing on themes of nostalgia and femininity, her work imbues life with matter, creating intimate vignettes which seek to find the beauty in the familiar. She has participated in group and duo shows in Greenville, SC., Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New York, and Paris, and is represented by Art and Light Gallery in Greenville, SC.
I paint to tell stories, using a narrative approach to still life that reveals beauty in the mundane. Through symbolic objects and imagined scenes, I explore themes of gender and representation without relying on direct figuration, allowing space for ambiguity and personal interpretation. My practice embraces personification and self-definition, offering open-ended narratives that affirm empowerment, emotional nuance, and the freedom to exist beyond fixed identities. Drawing on the tradition of European still life, I emphasize the significance of each object, crafting a mise-en-scène in which the ordinary takes on new resonance.
My Friends
Oil on canvas, 36" x 44"
Bella Wattles is an emerging, self-taught artist based in Philadelphia, recognized for her narrative still life compositions. Drawing on themes of nostalgia and femininity, her work imbues life with matter, creating intimate vignettes which seek to find the beauty in the familiar. She has participated in group and duo shows in Greenville, SC., Philadelphia, Los Angeles, New York, and Paris, and is represented by Art and Light Gallery in Greenville, SC.
I paint to tell stories, using a narrative approach to still life that reveals beauty in the mundane. Through symbolic objects and imagined scenes, I explore themes of gender and representation without relying on direct figuration, allowing space for ambiguity and personal interpretation. My practice embraces personification and self-definition, offering open-ended narratives that affirm empowerment, emotional nuance, and the freedom to exist beyond fixed identities. Drawing on the tradition of European still life, I emphasize the significance of each object, crafting a mise-en-scène in which the ordinary takes on new resonance.
