▁River . ▁She ▁developed ▁an ▁interest ▁in ▁art ▁as ▁a ▁child ▁from ▁working ▁alongside ▁her ▁grand father , ▁an ▁amateur ▁painter , ▁and ▁from ▁art ▁less ons ▁taken ▁from ▁age ▁eight ▁through ▁high ▁school . ▁When ▁she ▁was ▁twenty - one ▁years ▁old , ▁Bel court ' s ▁mother ▁died ▁after ▁a ▁long ▁ill ness ; ▁she ▁expressed ▁the ▁loss ▁in ▁an ▁early ▁series ▁of ▁port ra its ▁of ▁her ▁mother ▁hover ing ▁or ▁disappear ing ▁in ▁an ▁abstract ▁landscape , ▁which ▁she ▁based ▁on ▁a ▁photograph ▁taken ▁in ▁her ▁mother ' s ▁youth . ▁Bel court ▁studied ▁at ▁Mount ▁All ison ▁University ▁in ▁rural ▁New ▁Brun sw ick ▁( B FA , ▁ 1 9 8 3 ), ▁then ▁moved ▁to ▁New ▁York ▁City ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 4 , ▁drawn ▁by ▁its ▁greater ▁sense ▁of ▁freedom ▁and ▁opportunity ▁for ▁purs uing ▁a ▁career ▁as ▁a ▁painter . ▁She ▁built ▁her ▁reputation ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 9 0 s ▁through ▁group ▁exhib itions ▁at ▁The ▁Draw ing ▁Center , ▁Brook lyn ▁Museum ▁of ▁Art , ▁and ▁We athers po on ▁Art ▁Museum ▁and ▁her ▁first ▁solo ▁shows ▁at ▁the ▁Ann ika ▁Sund vik ▁( 1 9 9 6 ) ▁and ▁Peter ▁Bl um ▁( 1 9 9 7 ) ▁gall eries ▁in ▁New ▁York . ▁▁ ▁Since ▁ 2 0 0 0 , ▁Bel court ▁has ▁worked ▁for ▁roughly ▁four ▁months ▁of ▁each ▁year ▁beginning ▁in ▁late ▁May ▁in ▁M ét is - sur - Mer , ▁filling ▁not ebook