Since early childhood Jan Bell has been inspired by the natural world. He grew up in northwestern Ohio on a farm in the flatlands. This instilled in him an appreciation for the land. His inborn passion for the arts has continued into his adult life and has translated as the work people see today. He attributes his clean sense of design to a 3-deacde career as a graphic designer. He says that seeing the world through the eyes of a designer influences an individual’s aesthetic, particularly their compositions. What Bell reveals in his work is the world that surrounds us, but which is often overlooked by many people in their course of hurried lives. His work draws on methodology of traditional photography, which he blends with current digital standards. This helps him to achieve prints that can only be compared to silver gelatin prints. Bell processes his images in Photoshop and prints them using archival pigment technology on fine art paper (museum grade).
Whether it's a manmade structure, a plant, or a landscape, each of his photos represents an opportunity to consider the subject in terms of the beauty of its form - almost apart from the function or meaning of that subject. Whether it is a secluded canyon, the inner folds of a plant, or a sand-swept dune, Bell focuses on a friendly view, and narrows the scope, allowing the eye to see only elements of his subjects. Bell is an avid adventurer; he has trekked throughout the United States searching of subjects. His art is in the collections of American Frame, Argo Hytos, Health Care REIT, Toledo Museum of Art, University of Michigan, University of Toledo, to mention just a few.
