Michael Bell (artist)

Did You Know?

• At age five Bell won the first juried art exhibition he entered.
• He studied art with his maternal grandmother, Violet Vallery, a self-taught artist from Lyndhurst, New Jersey.
• Bell has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Lycoming College and a Master of Education in Art Education from Towson University.

Career

Michael Bell built a reputation as one of America's most respected art teachers, yet his nights were spent painting portraits of mob bosses. In 2017, he released "DUAL LIVES: from the Streets to the Studio," a book detailing his path as both an educator and a portraitist whose subjects included John Gotti and actors from The Sopranos. Bell is credited as a pioneer of the Visual Journaling movement, and he travels across the United States leading workshops, often donating his paintings to charity auctions.

His artistic career took off after he painted portraits for John Gotti, which led to commissions for actors who portrayed Mafia figures in films and TV shows like The Sopranos, Goodfellas, and A Bronx Tale. In 2008, Bell wrote his first screenplay, drawing on the real-life stories behind his "Ticket to Ride" paintings. That same year, he painted a portrait for Sopranos actor Joseph R. Gannascoli to support the Bright Steps Forward foundation and raise awareness for autism.

In 2009, Bell was invited to speak in Washington, D.C., about arts, innovation, and design for then-U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. He achieved National Board Certification in 2010, the highest teaching credential, while also mentoring the first of seven consecutive NAEA National Rising Star award winners. In 2012, Bell collaborated with artist Eric Fischl on the America: Now and Here project, which debuted at the NAEA National Convention in New York City.

The following year, moved by the story of bullied teen Amanda Todd, Bell created a portrait in her memory, which grew into an anti-bullying initiative and a YouTube video. Also in 2013, he painted a series of portraits for Mob Wives star Toni Marie Ricci. That same year, Bell received three national teaching honors: the College Board William U. Harris Award of Excellence in Brooklyn, New York; The Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award in Washington, D.C.; and the National Art Education Association National Art Honor Society Sponsor of the Year in Fort Worth, Texas.

He also earned the Dr. James E. Douthat Outstanding Achievement Award from Lycoming College, given to alumni whose accomplishments bring distinction to the school.