BIO
Jerrold (Jerry) Belland was born and raised on a dairy farm near Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. His initial visual inspiration came from daily cartoon strips in the Chicago Tribune. Inspired by golden age comics like “Dick Tracy” and “Li’l Orphan Annie,” he came to visualize and draw out his own world. His youthful goal was to become a cartoonist. As a high school student, he published a weekly cartoon in the local newspaper.
He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1970. Soon after, he gained a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He held a day job as an art teacher for years as he slowly built a solid fine arts reputation in Wisconsin. In his career, he has won over 100 awards in various art exhibitions. His work hangs in hundreds of private and public collections.
In 2012, he won a Racine Art Museum fellowship. At that time he decided to return to cartooning. He returned with a vengeance. In quick succession, he has published four books of cartoons. His dark view of politics led to his third book, “Scott Walker in Hell and Other Delights.” This book was quickly followed by another book about the first year of the Trump presidency, “Donald Trump, the First Hundred Years.”
Belland works out of a studio in the inner city of Racine, Wisconsin. After working on his books, Belland resumed his role as a painter, doing a comprehensive portrait of his surroundings with the “Memorial Drive Journal” and “Fourth Floor View” series. These two series comprise of hundreds of paintings and drawings.
Belland lives with his wife in Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin. He has two grown daughters. At 77 years old he still maintains a disciplined studio practice.