Oliver Hazard Benson

Awakening at Gordia - Highly Detailed, Surreal and Symbolic Painting

2018

Marcos Raya The Anguish of Being and the Nothingness of the Universe, 2000 acrylic on canvas 72h x 72w in 182.88h x 182.88w cm MSR093 Marcos Raya's work is heavily influenced by Mex...

ARTIST STATEMENT I'm currently working with figures and portraits and combine human forms with botanicals to explore our relationship with natural elements. Capturing the movement of the figure or an expression of a living soul presents endless possibilities and inspiration enabling me to blend with different themes. I've studied classical methods of oil painting with a focus on the 17th century Dutch Masters. The subjects I am drawn to are individuals with character, athletic figures and blooming floral arrangements with elegance and ethereal beauty. The reference for my work comes from my direct observation of natural day light in my north light studio illuminating and blanketing the form of my subjects. I am fascinated and challenged by the process of transforming a flat, blank canvas into the illusion of dimensional form, atmosphere and mood. That process is usually well thought out but sometimes painted direct and use intuition to complete my idea. Both of these methods present challenges but each way fills the void of the other and opens up the possibility of new visual ideas to meet my objective. BIOGRAPHY For Michael Van Zeyl, portraiture is much more than a one-sided translation of the artist’s point of view taking form in a subject. It’s an engaging visual dialogue that renders a soul in light, shadow and pigment, continuing the conversation for future generations to appreciate. While subtle observation and technical skill are only part of Michael’s gift, his experience has honed his craft to the highest standard. His talents were apparent by age seven and he spent subsequent decades mastering a wide range of painting techniques. In particular, 17th century Dutch and 19th century impressionist styles have resonated with him and surfaced in his own works. His formal training began at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, continuing on at Chicago’s Historic Palette & Chisel Academy and the Art Students League in New York, where he studied with the most accomplished artists who also paint directly from life under natural light. Michael is currently a faculty and board member at the Palette & Chisel and has been the club’s most popular instructor for several years. Michael’s work is already appreciated in many public and private collections, such as the United States District Court, University of Chicago, DePaul University School of Law, Chicago Theological Seminary and American Hotel Register. He has received awards from the Portrait Society of America, The Artists Guild, the Oil Painters of America and the 2014 recipient of the Dorothy Driehaus Mellin Fellowship for Midwestern Artists. EDUCATION 1987-1990 American Academy of Art, Chicago, IL 1999-2000 American Academy of Art, Chicago, IL - Life Drawing & Oil Painting Palette & Chisel Academy, Chicago, IL - Painting & Life Drawing Art Students League, New York, NY - Painting EXHIBITIONS 2017 “Anne Harris...

Matthew Cook The Artist in Profile oil on aluminum 10 x 8 in. oval MATTHEW COOK b. Toledo, OH, 1987 EDUCATION 2017 MFA, Bowling Green State University...

This is a painting in realistic detail of a woman in profile using subtle tones. The oval shaped panel is framed in a custom frame with classic details. Matthew Cook...

A muscular male is seated on a chair, his eyes closed and head tilted toward the sky soaking up the warmth of the sun. "Sogni D'Oro", meaning sweet dreams, is set upon an intricate b...

This is the point at which Hamlet concentrates all of his resentment and breaks through his earlier hesitation to finally run his poisoned blade through Claudius and avenge his famil...

A portrait of Pinocchio from Pinocchio, Disney, 1940 Are there any more recognizable stories about the difficulties that can accompany lying than that of Pinocchio? For the puppet-...

A portrait of Sasquatch (Harry from Harry and the Hendersons, Universal Pictures, 1987) Developing almost simultaneously with my appreciation of mannequins, I fell in love with what...

From Nicholas Poussin’s The Death of Sapphira, circa 1652 As we invariably test the waters of lying, we quickly learn to recognize the more forgiving...

A mannequin For some reason, mannequins seemed to be everywhere when I was growing up. Maybe it was growing up during the heyday of malls in America. Nevertheless, with their clearl...

A portrait of Abraham Lincoln We’ve assigned a great deal of responsibility to our shared cultural figures when it comes to teaching lessons about truth, fiction, and morality. We u...

From Nicholas Poussin’s The Death of Sapphira, circa 1652 Sooner or later, we get caught lying. For most of us, it’s incredibly early in life, and the falsehood detected is innocuou...