If you ever wanted to share the spectacular beauty of a Central Texas sunset, but weren’t quite sure how to do it, then Martin Belli is your man. His panoramic color photos are the next best thing to being there. Big skies, vast horizons, rugged landscapes, and the creatures that live in them, are some of the “Scenes from Brown County” that will be featured in Belli’s upcoming exhibit at the Brownwood Art Center, 215 Fisk Ave. An opening reception will be Aug. 4, from 5-7 pm at the Art Center. The public is invited, and admission is free. The exhibit runs through August 26, open 2-6 pm weekdays.
Dr. Belli has been taking pictures since childhood, but chose a medical career. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and completed his medical training in New York City. He then served three years in the US Navy on Guam, where he found his photography skills useful in his job as Medical Examiner. He moved to Brownwood in 1994, and currently is the Medical Director and Chief Pathologist for the lab at Hendrick Medical Center Brownwood.
His move to Brownwood coincided with the introduction of digital photography. “The biggest change for me with photography was when it went digital. I started with one of the first digital cameras—a Minolta—which is a defunct company now; it got sold to Sony.” His choice of subjects to shoot was easy. “I grew up in New York City. Moving out here to the countryside, I just enjoyed the nature so much.”
Belli has been exhibiting his work for a while now, and won Best Photo at the local Stars of Texas juried competition in 2018. A variety of his images are available at flickr.com. With digital photo-sharing and selling websites, Belli observes “that’s kind of exciting too. I could be selling pictures for 100 years after I’m dead!”
“Scenes from Brown County” is his first solo exhibit, another milestone in a hobby that has evolved parallel to his medical practice. “Most of what I shoot is at my ranch, so now I’m always trying to find a new way to look at it. You have to look at things in a new way.”