Cat's Eyes & Best of 'Em 1993

Charles Bell made 'Cat's Eyes & Best of 'Em' with a sharp eye and an abundance of skill. What was Bell thinking as he painted? You can imagine him, totally focused, trying to capture the way light bends and twists through these glass spheres. Look at how each marble seems to have its own little universe inside, full of swirling colors and unexpected shapes. The surface is so smooth, it almost feels like you could reach out and touch them. And those shadows! They're not just dark spots, they're part of the story, adding depth and mystery. It makes me think about Vija Celmins, who also had that incredible skill of rendering surfaces, and the Pop artists, of course, but Bell gives these everyday objects this incredible presence. Artists are always in conversation, learning from each other, pushing boundaries. Painting is like that – an ongoing experiment, a way of making sense of the world through color and form.