Greetings from the Studio

20130525-070418.jpg
“Strange Love”
24″ x 24″
Mixed media
Benjamin
2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Good day and thank for stopping in. I will be in and out today as its my daughters 20th birthday. I did however want to share with you the completed vision of what we started in “The Process” posts
This piece came together rather unexpectedly this morning. I did something most painters fear which is covered the entire piece over with a mixture of gesso, plaster of Paris and white paint. Then very carefully removed all but what you may see. Then reapplied some yellows, blues and finished it with a nice red. Now this piece has yet to be varnished or signed so its not out of the woods yet but it gave me a name and the feeling I was looking for so I put pallet knife and rag down and said Fin. Please take a short look at where we came from.

20130525-071838.jpg

20130525-071847.jpg

20130525-071858.jpg

I hope the day greets and treats you with the love and respect you deserve.
Namaste
Benjamin

1:32a

20130525-045907.jpg
As I lay me down to sleep I pray The Lord my bones to keep.
Wrap them tight in angels wings
Hear the trumpet how it sings
A tune of love and loss of such
For the brace of lovers touch
A simple kiss to seal the wish
That sleep…..will come to my side.
Take these burdens, shakes and things.
And wrap them tight in angels wings.
I give you all a soul to steal
keep it gentle for it reveals
all its hopes, thoughts and dreams
in paint and prose of complex things

Benjamin

The Process Pt.3

Well hi their, thanks for coming by again today. Things around the studio are jumping! You get a chance to dance yet today? What really to busy at work to dance :( okay then after work.
The other day well left off with this:

20130524-095347.jpg

20130524-095358.jpg

20130524-095407.jpg
Right? We had the table shot the full shot and the close up. Well today we are going to start with a full shot of the other piece that we hadn’t looked at yet:

20130524-095520.jpg
Yes I know it looks pink. It’s not really its an optical illusion, it’s red transparent paint on top of a white textured board which in photo land translates into pink. But never fear this piece didn’t say red! For long. As we’d spoken about the other day these pieces will be getting many micro thin layers of paint. Keep in mind it’s equally important for the pieces to have paint removed in certain areas as well. ;) so after mr red set for a sec this happened

20130524-095904.jpg

20130524-095920.jpg

20130524-095928.jpg
Oh no!!!! He crashed into the yellow paint for shame ;) yep looks like Fire

Yes I know I just had to it makes me giggle, and no I do not watch that show….. Anymore :-D So you ask well what happened to that other piece? The Yellow and Green thing I’m not sure? Lets take a look:

20130524-100328.jpg
Blue YAY well I think yay, sorry about the glare in the upper right side the paint was still dripping wet when I took this shot and highly reflective;

20130524-100452.jpg

20130524-100500.jpg
At this point any one of these pieces could and probably will change completely matter of fact I just flashed on an image of the blue thing evolving.

Well then I suppose you should get back to work right :-( okay well thanks for coming over, oh and by the way you look fantastic today, very nice ;)
Talk to you later.
Benjamin
2013.

20130524-101600.jpg

Shall we dance…

Okay so yes it’s Friday and I’m in a pretty indestructible mood.. Hopefully it will last right? ;) I’m taking a few minutes to be a lazy boy and do a quick post then I’m off to the studio. :-D
So shall we, do a little jitterbug to get the blood flowing, come on don’t be shy it’ll be fun.

20130524-084019.jpg
Ha, jitterbug (giggles) I just got that (says the guy with PD) ;) hey! If I can’t laugh about it from time to time then what’s the point of putting up with it.
Message of the moment: Don’t let life slow you down, many things in this life will present themselves as challenges but with the right perspective a little luck and lots of hugs you can over come anything. I BELIEVE IN YOU!!!
Peace I’m out!!
xoxo
B.

Good morning..Ive missed you

20130524-041140.jpg
Good morning, 4:12a an excerpt from a poem I wrote once:

I search for myself amongst these things we think we need and wonder how and why and who am I.
I’m left with lineage, love anguish and tremor. Pain and paint,passion and woes. But this my friend is where my garden grows. From ashes and fire from human desire. These are the things I’ve become. Of drink and desire and maddening rage, one name, one word my love for I am he.
Benjamin,.. is all that I be.

I think all humans long to be needed, missed, wanted and held even in my most hardened of days I longed to be held. As a child whilst being shipped from place to place I yearned for that connection. Be it a place of safety or a place of healing maybe even all the about and so much more. I write often of such a longing, I was once told by a Native American Indian elder that I had the soul of a lone wolf an old soul of the wanderer. At the time I was a very young boy so I had no idea what he meant but as I’ve grown into my shoes I would tend to agree.

20130524-042304.jpg
Could be why I have such a fascination with the romantic, that ever present ache in my heart driving me to feel passion ( not to be confused with sex) but passion that fire that drives us to be great to be out spoken, Dali,Van Gogh, Gandhi, C.Bukowski and millions more have (had) it. You have it as well, yes you reading this as we sit and you ready yourself for the day or sit at lunch or prepare for the night to come. We all have that drive I just believe that for some it sits closer to the skin than others.
Okay well enough morning rambles from your poetish painter, I’ve been up since 3a PST I’ve fended off an army of ants who decided that the kitties were fat enough and they needed to eat the rest if their food. So gross I hate ants. I have a very! Clean house and these little F’ing ants make a b-line for the kitty food at least once a year when the ground outside reaches a certain saturation point. Grrrrrrr.. Any how time to start the day. I’ve much painting to do today.
To all: Be Brave Be Bold and Thrive in the life you have.

Namaste
Benjamin

Forever More…..

20130523-194000.jpg
If I showed you the heart of the child would you promise not to laugh?
And if I held you in my shaking arms
Would you tremble with me or walk away.
Does the depth of your heart run deeper than this electric light
Or is it shallow like a river run dry
Could it be an ocean or deepest of loch
Warmed by an evening breeze
Gentle to the skin and kind of heart
Does it require all that I am or can it stand against
these turbulent waves that crash against the shores of my mind.
Deep and rooted like trees of the gods.
Entangled in emotions deeper than hell itself.
Fear not of the child’s heart that weeps at the sound of bird song
Or the smell of roses
for a soldiers armor guards this heart with with sharpened tongue
And words that sting.
Lay by my side or walk with me in the night and
you shall have but a piece of this guarded heart to hold and call your own forever and a day.
For I would give it all away I am nothing yet have always been
full and empty, craving yet lack nothing.
Neither angel or demon nor child and man,
Forever more…

Benjamin
2013
** the above image is a photo negative of one of my paintings
“capturing infinity”
24 x 48
Acrylics on birch panel.

The Process 2.5

Good afternoon, it’s nice to see you again thanks for coming by. Today I’ve been spending some time with a dear friend and collector of my art. One of the very few I’ve had the pleasure of meeting face to face. Today’s Process post is just a quick touch base as I have an appointment in a bit. Yesterday we added some color and then had to do my least favorite thing as a painter. Literally watch the paint dry. Pretty darn boring if you ask me. So this is what we waited for from yesterday:

20130523-135349.jpg
Since I’ve seriously only had a few minutes with it today this is what we have now:

20130523-140114.jpg
This particular piece I will be using my glazing technique on, meaning it will eventually have hundreds of micro thin layers of paint at different thicknesses to create depth and color differentials.
Here is a close up up the coral technique being used, this style of texturing with allow me to build depth by pooling the paint in the valleys and crevasses.

20130523-140752.jpg
If my appointment this evening goes well and I’m not completely exhausted then I’d very much like to continue to work on this tonight, if not then tomorrow it is.
Until then much love and afternoon naps for all.

Always
Benjamin
Ps: say goodbye to the Grapes as they have gone off to there new home today.

20130523-141420.jpg

Ravens Song

20121207-194421.jpg

What harbingers of rain and pain these ravens be

their discourse harkens my heart of darkness

as  I fear the words they bring, sing, song

All wrong is the tone to these deaf ears

mirrors bring only the sight of fright

Night has come to this hollow home

Rome these hall in the morning

hour searching for strength in the darkness

crying to the wolves for comfort and solace

 

For what depth does the day bring if only to be soured by the sight of pain.

Does it give no rest to the weary traveler, offer no safe haven for this heavy heart

Walking these days of change alone with child in hand burdened by these bones

Medicated sleep finds me for a brief love affair each day as the clock grows long

And shadows of tomorrows future grip tight these gliding hands and fear reigns supreme.

Hold tight to these lovers hands as they are graced with years of skill and a mind as old as time.

I would give it all if only to be heard by one bird on this night of the Ravens song.

20130515-192727.jpg

Benjamin

2013

20130430-055207.jpg

 

 

3:01 AM

http://youtu.be/MU8B4XDI3Uw

20130523-030146.jpg
Good morning, I figured posting when I actually got up us excessive so I waiting till now. See because I have this rule no coffee before 3am unless you haven’t gone to be yet, which I have.
Any how it’s time to make coffee and start my day if not sleeping and painting YAY plus I get to hang out with a friend today….yes I do actually know a human or two.. And well if we lived under an hour from each other we could meet for coffee as well. Speaking I coffee again I’m in need.
Much love talk to you when I’m actually awake enough to talk.
xoxo
Benjamin

Greetings From the Studio.

Good evening whilst waiting for The Process pieces to dry I was able to put the finishing touches on the
Grapes of Wrath piece.

20130522-173850.jpg
The Painting.

20130522-173924.jpg
The Photo I created from a grape stem and my kitchen counter.

20130522-174017.jpg
The Painting and an 8 x 10 print of the photo.
** Some close up’s of the painting.

20130522-174144.jpg

20130522-174153.jpg