Bella went to an exhibit at the Hayward Gallery called Sacred Circles - Two Thousand Years of North American Indian Art. This 1976 exhibit was very powerful, moving, and affected Bella deeply. While walking through the exhibit, she stopped in front of a totem pole that had a carved eagle on top of it. The pole had been carved on the northwest coast by a native american tribe. The design and energy of this 7.62 meter tall house entrance pole really caught her attention. Bella visited the exhibit several times and each time she found herself standing in front of this particular pole. At one point, while standing in front of it she heard “Your Path Is Now To Be A Weaver”. She shared this with a close friend and he told her that it was her intuition speaking to her. The next day Bella went to Piccadilly and bought hand dyed yarn and sent it back home. While visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum, her partner bought her a hand-woven jacket made with goat hair & alpaca. As Bella stood in Kensington Garden that day she had a sense that her life was going to change in a very profound way.

When Bella returned from London she changed her major and followed her passion to create beautiful pieces of art. She graduated from California State University with an Art Degree in textiles and jewelry. After college she moved to Pittsburgh and became active in the Weavers and Sculptors Guild. In 1979 she won a Mellon Foundation Award to weave a 40ft hand-dyed woven sculpture called Lunaception and it was displayed at the Three Rivers Art Festival.

Bella decided to move to Austin Texas in 1980 and she showed her work at the Eagle’s Nest Gallery and the Amdur Gallery. She also taught weaving at the Texas School for the Blind. While she was in Austin a key figure in her life was Joe Nicols and she will always appreciate his psychic guidance.

In 1987, Bella’s life shifted dramatically when her best friend fixed her up on a blind date with James Parsons who was lecturing at the University of Texas at Austin on his book Art Fever. He lived in Santa Fe and they had a long distance romance for 8 months until they decided to marry. In July of 1988, Bella moved to Santa Fe to be with her new husband. Their love for each other grew and Bella felt blessed to be married to a man of integrity. Bella was impressed with Jim’s skills and honesty as he promoted and sold the art estate of modernist painter Emil Bisttram of Taos.

Bella settled into her new home and her first job in Santa Fe was working as a weaver for Chris O’connell  at Spider Woman Designs on Canyon Rd. Bella also worked for Dr. Jay Scherer at his Johnson Street office in Santa Fe. Dr Scherer was in his 80’s and had founded the Scherer Institute of Natural Healing. Jay taught her color therapy and how colors can heal. Bella and Jay would have lunch at some of Santa Fe’s most treasured restaurants where they would discuss all the healing properties of different gemstones and colors. Bella uses what Jay taught her when shes creates her weavings, dichroic glass jewelry, and sculptures. Bella feels blessed to have been close friends with Jay Scherer and is thankful that Theodora Anderson brought them together.

Jim and Bella decided to move to Taos in the summer of 1990. Bella joined the Taos Artists Co-op at 107 Bent St. where she was surrounded by a group of supportive and talented artists. The co-op artists included Judy Stribling, Karen McCurtain-Blair, Sheena Cameron, Janeen Marie, Connie Remaly, Cheryl Alexander, Kelly Donahue, Diane Whitten, Lloyd Rivera, Edna Sturtcman, Susan Ammann, Sylvia Petree, Suzanne Pinkham, Chris Roberts, and the first brave man to join the co-op, Tom Glover. This was a strong group of artists that for many years produced outstanding art. After a while, Bella and Jim moved their artwork into the Bent St gallery owned by the Noeding Family. In 1993, Bella was invited to show her work at the Smithsonian Institute in their Renwick Gallery for their 50th anniversary celebration. Bella exhibited her hand-woven shawls there and the gift shop sold her pieces. Celebrities and visitors to the gallery eagerly bought her special woven creations. The Smithsonian had chosen Bella along with 3 other artists from Taos to show their work - Juanita Suazo Dubray, Mary Witkop, and Marion Moore. Later in the 90’s, Bella’s dichroic glass jewelry and handwoven textiles were being sold in the gift shop of the American Craft Museum in New York City.

Bella had her weaving studio in the Couse Studios on Quesnel St in Taos for 8 years. Later on she moved to a larger space at Bond Court on Kit Carson Road so she would have room for her 3 looms. She enjoyed many years of weaving in the beautiful studio space. Bella eventually decided to put her loom and studio back into her home where she could be surrounded and inspired by the natural beauty of the land. One of her favorite parts of working at home is being with her adorable goldendoodle Cody. Bella and her dog Cody love to take road trips together and on those trips Bella often collects unusual yarns for her latest textile creations.

Bella has been influenced by many special people over the years. Barbara Bova was one of these special people. Their friendship began in 2003 and Barbara bought a condo in Taos after they became friends. Barbara had a sweet and generous husband, Ben Bova. When Bella’s husband Jim was airlifted to the heart hospital in Albuquerque - it was Ben & Barbara who showed up to support them. After Jim’s bypass surgery, they drove Bella & Jim home and stayed with them for a week to help out and provide comfort. The two couples continued to develop a strong bond of friendship. Bella and Jim were always invited to Christmas dinner with Ben & Barbara’s family at Lamberts of Taos. Bella learned so much about true friendship and love from Ben & Barbara because they were true soulmates and so happy together. Bella has always been grateful for the special people who have influenced her and helped her become the person she is today.