While I was contemplating his work, choosing the pictures to illustrate his first feature, I quickly saw two main things in the work of Joel Belmont : a predilection for B&W shots, "printed by hand in a traditional wet darkroom", and a wonderful collaborative work with his wife, Lili Belmont, painter.
All his pictures have a meaning, something beyond the breathtaking shot, something about the sense of life. His work prooves a constant and deeply inspired search for beauty in every form. Go and visit his site, and you'll see by yourself the power of his creative and genuine vision.
"Grace amid Chaos"Painting by Lili Belmont
Silver Gelatin print mounted on panel with oil paint, 16x20"
Who is he ?
" At the young age of 30, Joel Belmont has spent almost a decade working in the photographic arts, and has achieved a level of work usually seen only in more advanced practitioners of the art.
Receiving a BA in Mass Communications from Principia College, he exhibits frequently and continues to pursue the cutting edge of his creative vision.
"Between Matter and Spirit"
From the Series "Human Condition"
From the Series "Human Condition"
The themes in his work pursue intangible spiritual qualities, taking the human experience, of which we are all a part, and transcending it into the “Divine Adventure” of life.
While these spiritual qualities are not something one can see with the eye, he is able to use visual metaphors to capture glimpses of the deeper truths and struggles of life, and convey them in a universal way that the viewer can relate to in their own experience.
Working in large format film (4x5” negatives), his work achieves the highest quality, print definition and a charisma only found in film. He prints his own black and white images by hand in a traditional wet darkroom, but works in a dry darkroom as well depending on the project.
From the Series "The Search"
"Escape"
From the Series "Human Condition"
" This image, to me, shows how perhaps women feel the need to enhance their bodies, but then ultimately want to climb out of the resulting role of being appreciated only for their skin. To me, this image is part of an ongoing and wide-ranging commentary scattered in my work, about social stereotypes, and how they reflect on the people that buy into them, as well as the people that support them, and ultimately, hope for overcoming and transcending them."
He grew up on the Monterey Peninsula in California, where such photographic masters as Edward and Brett Weston, Ansel Adams, and Wynn Bullock lived and worked. After spending six years in Oregon, he moved to Colorado where he has resided for the past nine years, near Aspen.
His wife, Lili Belmont is an accomplished painter from Germany who also frequently exhibits internationally. Every few months he finishes new projects, working in the studio, landscape, or out on the road, both in the United States and abroad.
From the Series "Divine Adventure"
1 comment:
This is such fabulous work!
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