Belle Jackson

My aunt was an artist. She lived next door to us when I was a girl. She would have get togethers in her basement where friends would join her to socialize and create art. I was fortunate that she always invited me to join them. When we went on vacation, I always packed a sketch book and pencils. My mom bought
me an easel and a few oil paints and canvas boards for my birthday when I was twelve.

The arts have always been a major interest in my life. I got a scholarship to Cranbrook Summer Theatre in my junior year in high school and spent the summer rehearsing and performing several plays, where we performed in the Greek Theatre throughout the summer. I took piano lessons as a young woman and was fortunate to study with Matt Michaels, then Professor of Jazz Studies at Wayne State University. Meeting and studying with Robert Pipho prepared me for admittance into the Jazz Studies program at Wayne State when I was 37.

I re-connected with the wonderful world of visual arts through pastels. I am self-taught, with some virtual instruction. The natural world is my passion. I am constantly filled with joy and wonder, observing the beauty that is all around us.  Connecting with pastels as an art medium has opened up a wonderful world of creative joy and passion.