In college, Bella Halsted studied literature, and after college taught ESL and writing, led creative workshops and worked on her own fiction and poetry. But through it all, she says, she kept on painting.
Now, at 78 — and a half — she works in her studio in Amherst, painting primarily with oils. Her most recent series focuses on horses: It is “a journey from dream-like horses to close-ups of real heads (sketched at a farm) to the amazing horse’s eye and what it might see of this sorry world of ours,” Halsted says. “Most recently, the world I’ve seen there is of migration and war — these are dark paintings.”
Kathleen Mellen: What is your creative process like?
Bella Halsted: I would say I start cool and get warm and once I get going, I’m in the fast lane. When I’m methodical and know my subject at the beginning, I start with my sketchbook or on a scrap, in pencil, mapping out the spaces, working out the lights and darks, considering the simplest of color connections. Once I’m on my way, the painting paints itself when things are going well. This is true whether it’s all from my imagination, takes off from a picture or object, or from life. When I’m bored, I’ll start with a couple of lines, dividing the whole page/paper into pieces and see where it takes me as I go. I like to paint with my fingers, in gloves, getting close to the feel of things.
K.M.: Does it start with a “Eureka!” moment?
B.H.: Seldom do I have such a moment at the start. Those come along the way, or sometimes only after I’ve set the work aside overnight or longer, when I can really see what’s there.
K.M.: How do you know you’re on the right track?
B.H.: Sometimes it’s a feeling of growing excitement as I’m painting along. Sometimes it’s by sitting down and taking a cool look at what’s going on, to say, ‘this works’ … and ‘that doesn’t.’ I look forward to others’ views of what I’m doing; they help me see what I can’t do, or affirm what I’ve discovered. I have a friend who comes all the way down from Vermont for just this purpose.
K.M.: What do you do when you get stuck?
B.H.: I try to remember to stop for the time being; if I remember to, I’ll scrape off the area that went wrong so I’ll know where to get started the next time — and get out of there, go take a walk, close up for the day. I’ve learned to work on several paintings at once, so I might leave one for a while (days) and work on another instead. Or I will do something else entirely: go to a museum or shows, read books, see what others are doing — let myself be stuck. It’ll pass.
K.M.: How do you know when the work is done?
B.H.: I have a hard time knowing that, and often go too far. I’m most interested in the feeling it conveys to me, rather than accuracy of subject, for example, and the overall unity of the painting. It sometimes takes a long time to know whether I need to leave it or keep on going. It can take days or weeks to see it as it really is. It always helps to consult with people who I know will comment with a clear critical eye, helping me not to go beyond.
K.M.: What do you see yourself working on next?
B.H.: I’ll continue with the horses; I want the paintings to contain the dark subject of our current world. It’s the hardest task of all: to bring beauty and depths of feeling together with the realities of war and migration — without being propagandistic or false. I need to explore this issue in my work. How to begin? I think I’ll go down to the Horse Farm and start sketching again.
Artwork by Bella Halsted is on view through Jan. 9 at Clayton & Canby Dental office at the Potpourri Plaza, in the rear, 243 King St. Suite 112, Northampton.
Another exhibit of her work will open with a reception May 4 from 5 to 8 p.m. and will remain on view through July 28 at the Jewish Community of Amherst, 742 Main St.