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The New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts is dedicated to the preservation of Fine Art’s past and the development of its future through an engaging education in a welcoming environment.
5256 Magazine St.New Orleans, LA 70115Call us: (504) 899-8111
Remembering Belinda Knowles
Last week, long-time Academy student and local artist Belinda Knowles passed away at the age of 86.
Belinda began taking classes the The New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts in 1990. Over her more than three decades as a dedicated student, she studied under three expert faculty members: Darrell Brown, Auseklis Ozols, and Garth Swanson.
A prolific still life oil painter with a specific focus on flowers, she came in almost every day—rain or shine—to paint. Many art patrons looked forward to her participation in the Academy’s Annual Art Fair and Student Exhibition, in which her work was always amongst the most popular; throughout her many years of participation, she was known to frequently sell out.
In 2005, NOAFA asked Belinda to donate her flowers paintings to the NOMA Art in Bloom Auction, where they became so popular that she donated each year through to the present.
She received the Fantin-Latour Award in 2016, awarded to her by Auseklis Ozols. Named after Henri Fantin-Latour, a French painter known for his flower paintings, this award fit her painting style and skill perfectly.
In 2023, she received the Faculty Award, chosen by Garth Swanson, for her work in the Student Exhibition show that year.
She was a staple at The Academy, and when she was not in the classroom painting, she was sitting at the kitchen table socializing.
Belinda was a wonderful artist, person, and friend. She will be greatly missed, but she will live on at The Academy through her artwork that hangs on our walls.
New Orleans, LA 70115Call us: (504) 899-8111