An Art Legacy at the Bellamy

The Bellamy Museum is fortunate to be one of the most photographed and artistically rendered sites in Wilmington. The list of local notables creating images include Ben Billingsley, Bruce Bowman, Todd Carignan, John and Mary Ellen Golden, Claude Howell, William Mangum, Louis Orr, John Poon, Robert Powers, and many others. Several are in our collection, including a large-scale image by regionalist artist Chris Wilson that has been added recently. Also, countless fine photographers and 3D artists have approached the subject, along with more unusual renditions in woodcut, models, ice sculpture, and even cakes!

There are artworks of every size and shape on every wall of Kathy Wilson's apartment -- 28 pieces to be exact -- by her late husband Chris Wilson. Can you spot an image of the Bellamy?

Artist Chris Wilson: The Bellamy Through His Eyes
​The moment you enter Kathy Wilson’s modern,1,300-square-foot apartment overlooking the Cape Fear River in downtown Wilmington, you are ensconced in a world of art and antiques. The walls are filled with “postcards” (small versions of much larger paintings), sketches, studies and other large-scale artworks, most of which were created by Kathy’s late husband J. Chris Wilson (1948-2023), an American Southern regionalist artist, best known for his paintings of North Carolina scenic landscapes. ​In her new living space, Kathy has lovingly curated selections of her husband's art to memorialize the span of their lives.

Chris Wilson was known for his very large paintings, placing the viewers in his paintings instead of only allowing them to view the subject matter from a distance. In the Wilson's spacious previous home on 5th Avenue, the six-foot wide Bellamy painting had plenty of room. That antebellum home (1854), as well as the Bellamy house (1861), were designed by Wilmington architect James F. Post.

To be sure, not all of the pieces that adorned the walls of the Wilson’s previous 6,000-square-foot home on Wilmington’s South 5th Avenue made the move to the smaller space, so they will reside in storage for now. One masterpiece, however, journeyed just two blocks down the street to the Bellamy Museum on 503 North 5th Avenue. It is a 48-inch by 72-inch oil on canvas depicting the Kenan Fountain in the foreground and the imposing mansion behind it. ​

​Chris painted it in 2008, a few years after moving to Wilmington from Rocky Mount, NC, where he and Kathy, both college professors, restored the 18th-century Battle family Old Town plantation. It was purchased from Preservation North Carolina (PNC), and soon after added to the National Register of Historic Places. Passionate preservationists, they took three years to restore the Wilmington house, and Chris served a stint on the PNC board while Kathy was a member of the board of the Bellamy Mansion Museum representing PNC. During this time, Chris and Kathy were recipients of the Gertrude S. Carraway Award of Merit in 2011 from PNC for their contributions to historic preservation. 

“My soul is sustained by what passes through my eyes...One of the motivations for my paintings is that I strive to create an object that, when it succeeds, has the capacity to bring that kind of visual pleasure to me and hopefully to others.”
​J. Chris Wilson

Soon after Chris’ passing in late 2023, Kathy donated the Bellamy piece to the museum, where 22,000 annual visitors can enjoy the beauty of Chris’ interpretation of the iconic 1861 mansion and 1921 Kenan fountain. Kathy explains the donation is in honor of her husband's dedication to preservation, as well as that of recently retired PNC President Myrick Howard. 

As to what drew him to paint the Bellamy, Chris has said: “I’m looking for extraordinary landscapes, things that are extraordinary in terms of visual interest, and that will make a really good painting. And so I’m not really seeking out the best known tourist sites in North Carolina and then doing those because it’s not the site that I’m after, it’s the composition and design I’m after, it’s what interests me.”

​Chris Wilson's portfolio includes hundreds of artworks, which are held in public, corporate and private collections throughout the United States. Among them, approximately 30 have been on loan for more than ten years at the North Carolina Museum of History and the legislative building in Raleigh. 

Several of Chris' landscape paintings reside in the NC House Chamber.

​In the early 2000's, Chris began working on his most prolific project: "From Murphy to Manteo—An Artist's Scenic Journey," traveling across North Carolina numerous times, photographing and sketching potential compositions. His stated goal was to produce 100 large-scale canvases, some with dimensions approaching 16 feet, depicting scenes from the mountains to the sea. The series was named for U.S. Route 64, the longest highway in North Carolina measuring 563 miles. Chris passed away before that project was finished, but he has most certainly left behind an enduring legacy.

Shown here in his studio, Chris worked tirelessly to capture the many scenic wonders across the state in his landscape series: “From Murphy to Manteo." Among his last paintings for the series was "Looking Down Toxaway Falls, Transylvania County," completed in 2018. It measures a "mere" 58 inches high by 40 inches wide. Learn more about Chris Wilson and his artworks here: www.jchriswilson.com.