Inspired by his deeply rooted relationship with nature, in particular the forests and coastlines surrounding his studio in Portland, ME, Benn’s Fields of Vision come in and out of focus, blending aesthetic and conceptual elements into a distinctly textured presentness.

 

The process involved in creating these works is key, starting with batik dyeing of hand selected Moroccan linen, which leads into drawings created with light projections, finished off with a swirling and churning application of layer upon layer of oil paints and pastels. There is a holistic connection between what Benn describes as the natural choreography of nature and the intricate surfaces of his works. Time spent near glistening creek beds and lichen covered rocks is collected and internalized, later reemerging onto canvas in bursts of technicolor euphoria. According to Benn, his paintings, “illuminate the way the artist’s mind makes an internal cerebral photograph of the landscape and helps further understand our complicated yet important relationship to the environment.”