New Start….New Studio*** Rant

Posted by prewitt1970

Many of you know about some of the most private details of my life at this point..

Some of you would even say I’ve over shared…
I guess that’s the beauty of what happens here we all have a choice. To come together under a common bond and share the joys and
sorrows of each others lives. Some to comment, some to watch from the shadows and judge. Either way I made a decision when I first started
blog to be open. Many people forget that this site didn’t start as an Art blog but as my personal journal cataloging my life and struggles with coming to
terms with Young Onset Parkinson’s disease. This journey has taken me around the united states and abroad I’m happy to say I’ve shared every step along the ways, the good the bad and the very ugly personal truths of my life that in reality many of us share in common but would never put out there the way I do.

I’ve said it before and Ill stand by it. I’m a man, no different than any other with the slight exception that I paint and write my heart and soul for all to see. I end 99% of my posts with a kind word. And I pose some hard questions and thoughts because I believe that one man and one voice can change the world.
Art and words have lost their meaning and I will not stand for it another second. For if YOU will not Be Brave and Be Bold or Thrive in the life you have….. I will. If given the chance I would take your hand and shout your name from the roof tops to show the world your brilliance and compassion. Live your words or don’t use them at all. At this point I’ve lost all of it. My job, my career my home and my family and Ill be dammed if I’m going to silence my heart and soul now.
I just received word that I’ve been accepted into a local art co-op. 4 floors of prime down town retail, commercial and loft living space. A place that is positioning its self at the edge of creating an new feel a new scene thriving and ready to make Art believable again. Any person can put brush to canvas, lead to paper and glue a stone to a ring. But only a few can create through there passion to express that love, fear and strength through their art. So again I say…to you.
Be Brave, Be Bold and Thrive in the life you have… No… life is not easy for any of us. But if I can live through the things I’ve seen, done and had happen to me then you can too. I believe in you. I’ve seen your strength, beauty and passion.

That’s all I’ve to say.
Namaste
Benjamin
1970-current
“A life in progress”

Studio catch up..

Posted by prewitt1970

Good day I hope you’ve been well in my absence. It feels so strange to not be painting and post 2-3 times a day or at least popping in to say hello. The current piece I’m working on is slow going and highly time consuming. It’s birth into this work unlike the abstract a I do comes with great patience as the ideas manifest and meaning behind each stroke takes on a name of its own. There is a deep person relationship between this new My Girl and I for she is helping me show you a level of thought and technique we haven’t thought about since Dalis Baby a piece I’m sure many of you haven’t even seen. My girl will also be holding a depth of concept as Big Sky did in the story it’s character told. Without further adieu I give you the most recent update on

My Girl

Please keep in mind the the coloring is just being blocked out and the shading is in it’s infancy. The the story behind the concept is beginning to take shape. As many of you eluded to her shape is that of a clef or musical note, this is intentional as many muse sing a song that is only heard by it’s intended artist. A song or passion driving his or her work. Acting as a sanctuary of sorts as it does for me at 2a when I can’t sleep, finding myself by her musical side caressed by tones of gentle gift. In this piece thus far there is a beacon so far perceived as a light house that may or may not change but the concept will remain the same. A beacon of hope a light in the darkness a path guiding one home. It has a tree of life emerging from the shadows and a window to the soul. This piece will have many perceptions of misconception as the eye and mind wonder the piece from dark to light and flat to multidimensional. I will not elude much more to the concept of this piece until it’s completion as I’d like the relationship you form with it to be your own. But now it can be said I’ve opened a small window into my heart and mind for you to view this piece as it evolves. I’ve one other piece I’m slowly working on as well. These are the very beginning of School Yard a concept I think most humans who attended any basic education can relate to and any person who’s ever take that wrong turn down a dark alley only to find the most beautiful and hidden expression of the times scrawled in pen and paint across the alleys of our world.

;

Again both of these pieces have miles to go until their life and concept are fully realized on our earth but given time and patience I hope to do just that.
It is my hope that where ever you are and what ever you may be doing that you know you are loved, that you realize your life has value and the world will not nor could not be the same without you.
As always my friends:
Be Brave Be Bold and Thrive in the Life you have.

Namaste
Benjamin
2014
“A life in progress”>

2 days and counting

Posted by prewitt1970

Good morning, afternoon and evening. I think I missed a day. How have you been? I havent missed a day since I don’t know when. Things have been shall we say out of control to say the least. We have two days until the movers come and I must admit I’m in a bit of a state of shock, we’ve gone from talking about this supposed property that we might come into, to having the deal fall through a couple of times. Me demanding for people not to talk about it around me because I’m a huge dreamer and if you give me the chance to dream I will and I’ll dream huge. To now.. Two days and the Main house will be 100% remodeled new paint,floors through out, trim and appliances come today so I’ll be at the Farm house most of the day simply hanging out.
During the course of this adventure I’ve managed to break two ribs, work myself to exhaustion more time than I care to admit and had some huge fights.I also somehow managed to win my category in the “Something Red” juried show, again a thing I totally don’t get. Last year I didn’t even get an honorable mention and this year I win? Dont get me wrong I’m not complaining, just shocked. And now here I sit not having panted in almost a month and its making me crazy. But I guess that’s what change does right? We’ve talked about it before, rebirth is never easy especially when it’s basically your entire life.Thanks for sticking with me, an Art blog with out art must be kind of boring especially since I’ve been forced to torture you guys with my words 😉 That being said lets take a look and see if we can stare at some paint for a moment. Maybe something old that we havent seen for a while.

Paul-1956

Inspired by yes Paul Jackson Pollock, this piece was done on paper using inks, oils, acrylics, gouache and anything else I could get my hands on. I was only 17 years old at the time but still this is one of my favorite pieces I’ve ever done, at least in this style. Funny thing is I’m not a huge fan of using this style. Most of my fascination with Pollock comes from the person he was and his views on art and paint itself.

Picasso, Miro and Dali being some of the other painters that have inspired me over the years, again not so much because of their paintings but because of who they were as humans and their unique view on art and paint. But I must admit im kind of fan boy when it comes to Picasso and I could and have spent hours staring at Dali work. One of the quotes Picasso is known for saying that I really appreciate is “Good painters copy, “great painters steal” and maybe its Artist instead of painters but I’m not to worried as I’m stealing his quote anyhow. 😉 For I to believe it’s not about being able to copy another work as it is the ability to embody the essence of the artist and make it your own. Therefore “stealing” and not copying.

Sabbia
“woman at the beach”**Also one of the only neutral color tone pieces I’ve done.

Pi~Guy and the Cowboy

“Pi-Guy and the Cowboy”This piece tells a story of a symbiotic relationship based on mutual need and self-preservation.
again it’s not about copying the artist, as just about anyone can produce a painting like this, in fact many artist have copied Picasso. But not many can embody the master and make his style their own.

Wow so I just realized I’ve been rambling Sorry, I miss my studio and I miss talking about art. OKay just to finish the ramble on art lets look just briefly at a couple more pieces and then I promise I’ll wrap it up.

A Miro inspired commission piece now living in the Mid-West.

Big Sky

And a Dali inspired piece, staying in my private collection.

Any how thanks for letting me sit and chat for a bit. I’ll be out at the Farm house waiting for appliances to show up and possibly working on getting the studio set up. I’ve been letting the construction guys use the space as a prep area for the rest of the house but after appliances come there isn’t really a direct need for people to come bouncing through my space. Okay its time for me to start my day. Something very rare happened last night….I slept,!!! yes really the whole night. Well from 10p-3a and for me that’s a lot of continuous sleep. I hope you have a great day and that the world treats you kindly and you it.
Much Love and Light
Benjamin
2013

Lost and Found

Posted by prewitt1970

One of the things I’ve been dreading about the upcoming move is going through the boxes from my late father who passed aways very suddenly 05/30/2007 a day before my 37th birthday. During the course of my morning which started at 2am pst this morning 12/4/13 I found some very interesting files buried in one of the many boxes I’ve had the displeasure of going through today.
It comes with mixed emotions that I share these things with you today. As complex as my relationship with my father was he and I share one very similar trait, we are (were) very sentimental, keeping notes and bits of paper from histories past as mementoes of things gone by. Pretty normal I imagine. While going through these boxes I found a file with my name on it thinking it would be report cards or kid related doctors stuff, I took a deep breath and opened said file. Much to my surprise it held only one envelope with my late grandmothers hand writing. In 1996 she submitted one of my poems to a national poetry contest. I didn’t know anything about it until I received an acceptance letter from the National Library of Congress stating that my piece published in an anthology book of poetry. Still to this day I’ve never seen the book itself but with the letter I found this morning I’ll be able to start narrowing down the possibilities. The following is that poem, written in 1983 when I was 13 years old.

THROWING STONES

Throwing stones through a glass room
to the tune of deaf ears
Cast away by a blind man
with the temperance of steel
and a heart like coal
Do you understand his pain?
Woe..
Do the hearts of the persecuted cry
for the day of their release.
A silent black death
to take the place of the pain
inflicted by their captures.
I cry a blood stained tear
for the meek
and unwilling.
I cry for you.

Benjamin M Prewitt
1983

Its been so long since ive thought about this piece, I can’t remember a time in my life ever that there wasnt conflict, small moments in time where things were smooth but it never seemed to last long. I guess things havent changed much in that respect. Maybe its due to my passion or my view of the world. Maybe its a reaction to the things I see and have always seen in humankind. Today should be a day a great joy. It’s the day of the Something Red reception and the downtown Salem Oregon Art Walk yet I’m wrought with conflict of the heart and mind. I often wonder if this is the curse of an artist and those impassioned beyond the “normal” or if by some way or some thing I’m just eternally broken. Cursed by the heavens to carry a cross that is not my own.

I hope the day is kind to all of you and you find in your hearts to love. That you find the courage, strength and hope you need to live your lives to the fullest without the burden I feel every waking moment of life.

Be Brave Be Bold and Thrive in the Life you have… and I will try to do the same.

Benjamin M Prewitt

1970-current
a work in progress.

I miss you Dad where ever you are.
** photo taken Dec 1971, I was one year old. The painting behind him was one of his own and something I remember vividly.

A day off…

Posted by prewitt1970

Good morning\Afternoon and evening, I hope the day has found you well, first off from deep in my heart I’d like to thank many of you for your lovely well wishes. This time of great change I must admit has caught me off guard a bit. I cherish change it keeps life fresh and new. It is the life blood of the future. Yet this time of change id new for me as I’ve never experienced great change with PD. Though my onset of Parkinson’s disease was rapid and honestly pretty brutal compared to the stories I’ve read from others with PD. I’ve only had PD for a little over two years. So there are many things in life I’ve yet to experience with my new-found friend. Moving being one of them and doing so in such a grand manner has been one of the toughest things I’ve done regardless of PD. I suppose hurting myself in a very painful fashion practically on day one hasn’t made things any easier. But I’m a fighter, I am that tree that will soak up the suns warmth from whatever direction it comes and save it for a rainy day. The tricky thing about this move is my body is missing some key indicators of when its time to be done. I suffer from peripheral neuropathy to the extent that I have little to no physical sensation in my hands, arms and legs.
So while your body will tell you “hey” you just hurt yourself or cut your leg ect.. I don’t feel those things the way most do. So when I do finally feel the pain it’s from a completely different source and sadly one that doesn’t know how to get that information correctly to the places it needs to go, My brain. O.o
I’ve talked with doctors as of late about ways to fight this but it seems their answer is to just kill the nerve completely, for instance I have a nerve knot in my foot that sends shocks up my leg from my big toe to my calf. It basically feels like liquid fire being poured up the nerve. Sciences answer to that was a quick injection of “your dead” of which I declined. Id rather feel the pain than never feel again. As for my ribs they will heal, anyone who has ever broken multiple ribs know exactly what im talking about. You go to the doctor in excruciating pain and they say hmm, it looks like you’ve broken or bruised your ribs, here’s a pain pill and a wrap, see you in six weeks, if it hurts too much, sorry don’t hurt your ribs. Anyhow I digress, as the title may suggest im going to be taking a day off,… Kind of, maybe… A little, First the boy and I are going to get our hair cut, for those of you who know me well it is an act of cleansing as well as a “looks” thing. My hair now is way to long for my liking. Today is also the “Something Red” art submission day so I need to go do that. I also have a print I need to pick up at the frame store and get that ready to ship out. Which reminds me I am getting close to capacity on some of the print’s, some of you may not know but I will be not make more than 20 of any print. I really didn’t want to make prints to begin with but as requested and suggested by many of you I decided to go ahead and do so.
So as I sit here a ramble away as I often do, the day is slipping away, Thank you all again for your opinion on the “Something Red” submissions and Truly, Truly thank you for your kind words. People often ask or state ” I don’t know how you manage or carry on” well its simple im a stubborn Irish bastard 😉 and simply from the kindness and strength gifted by others. Enough ramblings lets look at some Art for just a small moment in time.

As I lay me down to sleep

Autumns Passing
24″x36″
Mixed media

Horizons

The above paintings mark the most recent work completed, “As I lay me down to sleep”, ” Autumns Passing and “Horizons” all done within the past 30 days or so. I guess I can keep my title as a painter. I just feel shameful as I have a head bursting with images just clamoring to get out. Soon enough right? Soon I will have a “working” studio that friends and patrons may come visit with me at, It HAS A WINDOW!!!! which for those who know is kind of a running joke. Not only am I red-green color blind but I practically paint in the dark with my one “shop light” glaring down at me. Right I coud just sit here all day a chat. which is really what I’d like to do but I must go.

Much Love
Namaste
Benjamin
2013