Artist Spotlight: Belle Krupcheck
Belle Krupcheck’s art is commonly described as “cute & creepy” or “huggable & terrifying”. One look at Belle’s impressive and diverse portfolio and you will see why. Most of her works are stills and narrative images with inspiration drawn from directors such as Tim Burton and Dave Lynch; both with notably eerie styles. Belle's creepy aesthetic no doubt was encouraged by the town she grew up in: Danvers, Massachusetts. Danvers, formerly known as Salem Village, is a town most widely known for the Salem Witch Trials, a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft during the late 1600's. If that's not creepy, I don't know what is.
Belle’s love of art was inherited from her mother, a costume designer, who inspired her to start designing costumes for her high school theater department. Costume design sparked the beginning of her exploration into the world of art and creativity. While she now focuses most of her attention on video, digital media, illustrations, and multimedia; she still finds time to make some of her own clothes.
In 2016, Belle founded Blue Tape Society, a group for young artists, with her roommates at Pace University. Blue Tape Society’s mission is to help aspiring artists jump-start their careers through monthly galleries that will allow their work to gain exposure among the community, creating networking opportunities that will ultimately advance their careers.
“It was my roommates and I; we would hang everything on the wall with this ugly painters blue tape, and we had an idea to make our own gallery.”
“I rented a storefront out of pocket for the first show. I made a website and had people submit art so I could curate digitally. People brought stuff to our dorm, and we took a subway to hang everything the day of.”
Belle recently graduated from Pace University where she majored in art with a minor in film. During her time at Pace, she put her graphic design skills to good use for multiple clubs and events, including a Queer Career Panel and even our very own Queer Society logo.
Another particularly impressive project that Belle has released is her book, The Warmest Jacket I Own, Is The One You Gave Me. The book is filled with handwritten poems that she had never shown anyone photographed with an object on a textile.
“I used a lot of plain language that reads as notes almost.”
The objects, all seemingly meaningless, have some sort of sentimental value.
“The first one is a rainbow cowboy hat I wore to my first pride.”
Be sure to order your own copy on Amazon.com
Belle’s work ultimately speaks for itself. This is only a small sampling of her portfolio. To see the rest, visit her site at http://bellekrup.wixsite.com/portfolio/book.
"Don’t be afraid because in art there's no wrong answer; you can do things as many times as you need to and it's always yours."
