A portrait of Lizzo rests on an easel in artist Jenny Belin’s Park Slope studio. The charismatic performer's energy is channeled through electric blue eyeshadow and vivid pink feathers around her shoulders. "I was really happy with this one," Belin said of the newly completed work. "She’s got so much personality."
Jenny Belin stands beside her recent portrait of Lizzo
Stunning, stylish portraits of feminist icons, glamorous film stars, and a menagerie of animals, line the walls of Belin’s sunny studio overlooking 9th Street. "I’ve always painted animals because I’ve always loved animals," the artist explained Monday morning. Originally from Los Angeles, Belin was greatly influenced by her mother, Daisy. "My mom was an artist…. She always painted cats," Belin fondly recalled.
Her mother grew up in New York City and attended Music & Art High School (now LaGuardia) and Pratt Institute where she studied painting. A career in advertising brought her to California. Her mother’s history, as well as books and movies such as Desperately Seeking Susan and After Hours, convinced Belin that NYC was where she wanted to be. "I always dreamed of coming here. This is where I thought all the artists and writers lived," she said.
Jenny Belin's studio
Jenny Belin's studio
After receiving her BFA from Skidmore—and studying painting in Paris for a year—Belin moved to NYC in the 90s where she worked in the art department of Mirabella magazine. While there, Belin became interested in illustration, and had a few pieces featured in the women’s magazine as well as in The New Yorker and other publications. "It was fun but I never felt like it was something I wanted to do," she recalled. "I wanted to make my own work."
Belin’s oeuvre hints at eclectic influences that include Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, and John Singer Sargent; musical icons David Bowie and Debbie Harry; fashion designers Emilio Pucci and Pierre Cardin; and also Mexican culture. "I’m always inspired by the art that we see and the flowers," Belin said of the country that she and her partner, Jon, visit annually. "We love the people, the food, the architecture, and the weather."
The top left painting, "Mademoiselle 1962," is a portrait of Belin's mother. The top center piece, "The Revolution is Feline," features Belin's late cat Edye.
L-R: A portrait of Belin's mother and one of her mother's pieces
In the early 2000s, Belin began painting pet portraits, charming likenesses of dogs, cats, and other critters. When commissioned for a pet portrait, Belin requests from the client multiple photos as well as personality traits and stories about the animal. The results showcase not only the pet’s physical attributes but its character as well. From an attentive Dachshund, an alert squirrel, a pink-snouted piglet, and a one-eyed Scottish Fold, Belin captures them all with loving detail. The artist’s own felines feature in her work, including the late Edye defiantly donning a pink pussyhat, and her recently adopted tuxedo cat Marco.
Belin’s alluring Boudoir series is inspired by her love of fashion, starlets, and classic cinema including Busby Berkeley and French New Wave films. Along with images of vintage lace and satin undergarments, Belin pays homage to iconic actresses such as Catherine Deneuve, Elizabeth Taylor, Anna Karina, and Anna May Wong. Unabashedly feminine, both in subject matter and style, these works are fun, commanding, and far from dainty.
A selection of Belin's Feminist portraits available at Diana Kane, 229-B 5th Avenue in Park Slope. (L-R) Patti Smith, Toni Morrison, Joan Didion, Agnès Varda, Frida Kahlo, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Madonna, Harriet Tubman, Michelle Obama, and Cher
Belin embraced feminism early on, having attended a progressive high school in Los Angeles where she took Women’s Studies courses that invited prominent guests like Shirley Chisholm and Bella Abzug to speak. Unsettled by the 2016 election, Belin launched her popular Feminists series, featuring portraits of inspiring women from various walks of life: artists (Frida Kahlo, Patti Smith, Agnès Varda); writers (Joan Didion, Toni Morrison, Virginia Woolf); political figures (Michelle Obama, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Greta Thunberg); and performers (Cher, Madonna, Bea Arthur, Dolly Parton). Her empowering tributes to great women are available to purchase at the Diana Kane boutique in Park Slope.
Belin kicked off the Feminist series with a portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg that quickly sold and was reproduced in button form by Kane. After seeing Belin’s portrait of the Supreme Court Justice on social media, Bryant Johnson, Ginsburg’s personal trainer, reached out to the artist. Belin sent Johnson some RGB buttons which he shared with his client. Belin happily pointed out a handwritten thank you note from Ginsburg that is framed and displayed in her studio.
Belin's exhibit at PowerHouse on 8th, 1111 8th Avenue, Park Slope: (L-R) Embassy Cat, Archie, Mother and Child Reunion
Belin's exhibit at PowerHouse on 8th, 1111 8th Avenue, Park Slope: (L-R) Kit Koala, Girlcat Feministe, Queenie. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of Kit Koala ($300) will be donated to the Australian Koala Foundation.
Belin's exhibit at PowerHouse on 8th, 1111 8th Avenue, Park Slope: (L-R) Virginia Woolf, Frida, Toni II
Belin's exhibit at PowerHouse on 8th, 1111 8th Avenue, Park Slope. Portraits of Grace Greenwood and Eve Babitz are on the right.
Belin is currently producing a series of silk scarves featuring flower drawings culled from the many sketchbooks lining her shelves. Along with regularly showcasing her Feminist portraits at the Diana Kane shop, a selection of 12” x 12” acrylic works is currently on view at PowerHouse on 8th. The exhibit combines pieces from Belin’s Feminist series with animal paintings—an ideal mix of compelling women and cuddly creatures. "I think they’re all about personality," Belin says of her work, "and capturing something specific whether it’s the animal or the woman."
Learn more about Belin and see more of her work at jennybelin.com and at Instagram.
Comments