School of Art, Art History & Design alumnus Matt Belk (B.F.A. 2011) will present the next Hixson-Lied Visiting Artist & Scholar Lecture on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 5:30 p.m. in Richards Hall, Room 15. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Belk has gained recognition as a contemporary wildlife painter, bridging the gap between an outdoor lifestyle and modern contemporary art. His practice often involves the inventive use of tape, cutting shapes with an X-Acto blade, and airbrushing techniques to create striking depictions of nature that appear almost digitally rendered.

Beginning his career with a figurative focus, Belk’s transition to nature painting surprised even himself. “I never thought I would be a nature painter at all,” he said. “And now that’s all I paint. But I feel like I’m doing portraits—nature portraits. It’s like a fusion of fine art with wildlife art or something.” Despite this shift, elements such as pastel primary color schemes juxtaposed with graphite, an elevated reverence for animals and plants, and unexpected collaging of forms are motifs that have been present in his work since the beginning. Today, Belk combines these elements to create cohesive compositions that capture the level of contentment hunting in nature can bring.

Belk has exhibited with The Hole in 2022, participating in Manscaping in New York and Los Angeles, as well as at Superzoom in Paris. He had a solo booth at NADA New York in 2022 and has shown at fairs internationally, including Taipei Dangdai, Zona MACO, Art Cologne and NADA Miami. Following Sunsets, his first solo show in New York, Belk headed to Blidö, Sweden, for a residency with Carl Kostya?l Gallery 2024. He is currently on a social media hiatus to focus on creating his newest work.