A people-loving introvert, Belinda has always been drawn to faces and feelings. Raised by parents who led with their love for each other and their children, she was taught early that people matter, a focus that has fueled her direction in art and life.
Although funds were tight during childhood and the small Oregon coastal town of her upbringing didn’t boast galleries or museums, her creative parents encouraged her artistic heart. Both musicians themselves, they understood Belinda’s drive to create and encouraged her with art supplies, and even an easel in the laundry room -- her first studio. Belinda’s early art pursuits were full of drawings and even a childhood art sale, but applying her work ethic to her desire for expression came later, along with shift to learning as an artist.
For a time in her early twenties, Belinda’s artistic journey took the form of hairdressing with people again as the focus. Listening, helping, and seeing them while drawing out their beauty. The next stage of her life was a deep dive into truly seeing people through two decades of overseas work and education. A degree in intercultural study laid the foundation for over fifteen years of humanitarian effort in the Philippines, where each encounter showed her anew the value of the human experience and each individual’s emotional journey. This time was full of hard work – heart work – and her art was put on hold for quite a few years. With prompting from her husband, Josh, and the Filipino art community in which she’d found inspiration and mentorship, she jumped back into art in 2016 and hasn’t looked back since.
While workshops taught by local Filipino artists introduced her to new techniques and contributed to her style and voice, most influential was the guidance of Alfred Galvez. From him, Belinda was introduced to the classical method of painting she employs today. In this style, a black and white rendition is laid down on canvas, followed by many transparent layers of color. A time-tested technique, it achieves a realistic, almost velvety glow. The detail and time involved in this method gives Belinda a chance to get to know her subject, which further shapes her work. The smallest details and feelings are captured and coaxed out of the canvas, inviting viewers to share in each story.
Belinda was honored to have her first exhibits alongside the Filipino art community while still living in the Philippines, and since moving back to America she has continued to exhibit in her home state of Oregon, where she now lives with her family. Private commissions also give Belinda the opportunity to get to know her subjects individually and bring comfort and joy to the recipients of her paintings.
Through portraiture, Belinda strives to capture the beauty of each face and connect to the story behind it, truly seeing and celebrating every subject.
