Phoenix woman changes course, succeeds as artist

Sherri Belassen learned at a young age that dreams can be reinvented. Belassen, 41, who lives in the Arcadia area of Phoenix, was once on the fast track to the Olympics before becoming an artist.

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As a teenager growing up in Indianapolis, Ind., Belassen was making a name for herself as a high jumper.

By the age of 15, she had set a national record, soaring 6 feet and one-quarter inch.

"I liked the feeling of independence ... going one-on-one against something," said Belassen of her track and field days in the 1980s.

At age 17, an ankle injury quelled her plans for the 1984 Olympic Trials.

Belassen found out she had torn two ligaments in her left ankle.

"I never fully recovered. It was a little sad, but things happen for a reason," said Belassen, who continued to compete in her early college days at the University of Missouri, but could never get back to the level she achieved before the injury.

Belassen didn't dwell on what could have been. Instead, she found a new dream, turning to her other favorite pastime: painting.

After graduating in 1989 from Indiana University with a bachelor of fine arts degree, the former athlete went on to make a name for herself in the art world.

Her colorful abstract works - featuring subject matter ranging from figures in hammocks to surfers and longhorn steer - soon caught the attention of gallery owners.

Her latest collection of paintings, entitled "Balance Within," is on display at the Wilde Meyer Gallery in Scottsdale.

Belassen said that at age 23, her oil-on-canvas paintings were picked up by the Ron Hall Gallery in Dallas.

Belassen intended to pursue a master's degree in the arts in California, but decided to settle in Phoenix instead.

"I love it here - the sunshine. You don't have to be in New York to be a successful artist," said Belassen, who continued working on her art projects in her home studio in Phoenix while raising her two young sons alone after her divorce.

She said "sheer stubbornness" kept her going as a full-time artist as she set her sights on the Scottsdale art market.

"She has a unique style. She uses classic subject matter and different kinds of layering. Her work is very appealing to the eye," said Jonathan Henderson, co-owner of the Wilde Meyer Gallery, who has been representing Belassen for nearly a decade.

Belassen said she's thrilled that Scottsdale patrons have been collecting her work, which ranges in price from $1,000 to $18,000.

"I like knowing my work is becoming part of people's lives," Belassen said.

"I'm a lucky girl just living my dream."