A WINTER AFTERNOON. BENJAMIN S. ANDERSON
12x14, Oil on Belgian Linen. Frame: maple.
Hello Friends,
This season, I am grateful that my piece, A Winter Afternoon, was accepted into a juried exhibition hosted by California Art Club (CAC). CAC's Winter Solace traditional oil painting competition invited artists to paint something along the lines of "your ideal winter scene".
After spending last fall and winter at my childhood hometown in Vermont, I explored the forest behind my house. After painting in the forest and getting lost numerous times, a momemnt of inspiration hit - and I painting the intersecting location of the Old Stone Wall and lone pine to remember a key area that looked familiar.
A time to be grateful and creative
POINT LOBOS AFTERNOON. BENJAMIN S. ANDERSON
8x10, Oil on Canvas.
About the process:
Finding the perspective to operate from in drawing and painting can be somewhat overwhelming in the vast landscapes of the natural world. At Point Lobos, the options range from being down at the water's edge, to hiking high up on rocky ledges overlooking the great pacific ocean. Creating thumbnail sketches helps the artist determine how high or low in elevation to make the perspective before committing to a painting. After creating small drawings and paintings, the work is arranged in a portfolio for creating larger paintings that explore the compositions further. Hence, ‘plein air' paintings are often referred to as ‘plein air studies’, as these small treasures help the process of discovering compositions prior to making larger oil paintings.
Drawing Landscape
Setting forth out in nature allows for observational analysis of visual information. Capturing the world in drawing is essential to understanding the preliminary steps towards representational work. Drawing everyweek on site informs my painting, and helps me grow as an artist in a of ways.
About the piece:
Asilomar Waves II was painted summer 2022, and accepted by California Art Club's first of a series of Biennale state exhibitions for 2022.
CAC titled the exhibition; Celebrating California.
About the Exhibition Juror
Dr. Craig Nelson is the Executive Director of the School of Fine Art Painting at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, and was the juror for this exhibition.
About the Exhibition:
2021
2022
2019 - 2021
21 Under 31 Artist Benjamin S. Anderson, M.F.A. painting Bowling Green State University OH, and B.F.A. painting and printmaking Ohio Wesleyan University, is entranced with the natural landscape of Northern California and his childhood home in Vermont. Anderson was a state finalist for California Art Club’s Winter Solace competition 2021, and was juried into CAC’s exhibition Celebrating California 2022. He teaches at Hartnell College and is represented by Carmel Art Association gallery as a juried Artist Member since 2021.