Press
Making It Personal
by Michael J. Krainak
"Trajectories" marks a more personal, balanced direction for mix media artist Justin Beller seen here hanging his new exhibit at Anderson O'Brien gallery.
Seven years ago, in a breakout exhibition of sorts called Positive Space at the much-missed New BLK Gallery, mixed media artist Justin Beller made a strong first impression on his patrons, current and future, as well as this writer.
Works Show Area Artist’s Messier Side
by Kim Carpenter
Most local art lovers know Justin Beller for his abstract paintings and sculptures, distinctive for their geometric shapes and bright, vibrantly primary color schemes. For that reason, the 20-plus black-and-white, figurative drawings on view in “Justin Beller: Vitality,” opening tonight at Garden of the Zodiac, will come us a surprise.
“They’re a little messier and not as clean,” said the artist. “They’re rawer, and you can see the edginess of the pencil lines and the smear of my hand where it’s gone across the surface.”
Bulls emerge as a favorite motif.
Towering Presence
by Kim Carpenter
This has been a banner year for Justin Beller. The 38-year-old Benson-based artist has completed several major private, non-profit, and corporate commissions, been picked up by two art galleries, purchased a home, opened a new studio, and he’s getting married this month.
Of course, it’s only May, so a lot more may happen—especially given the increasing visibility the artist is enjoying thanks to his distinctive abstract paintings, geometric installations, and soaring towers, works that all incorporate dramatic lines, angular planes, and color fields both vibrant and muted by turns.
Artist Profile: Travel Helps Artist Find Self
by Shannon Smith
Justin Beller's serendipitous, random path as an artist has been anything but conventional. Although the Omaha native describes the way his life has unfolded as "magical" and "fated," he also says it has been no easy journey.
"It's been a lot of work, it's definitely chess," Beller said. "I've always pushed myself to do art, but now the focus is there."
That focus Beller feels he has finally found might have come earlier if he had attended college, but Beller wandered and found his own way.
"I knew I wanted to travel, and I didn't have the money to go to school," Beller said. "I looked at it like, ‘I'm going to take the money I would have used for school and hopefully that will be my education.'"
Beller has traveled around the world, from Figi to France, but has always returned to Omaha, where he feels "centered." His insatiable curiosity, combined with his impulsiveness, has led him to remarkable places and adventures.