MLBENSON

New Website

2010-09-16T14:36:00.001-07:00

Just launched a new website! From now on all new work will be posted at:

http://www.martinLbenson.com

Daytripping

2010-09-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

Daytripping

36" x 48"

Acrylic Paint, India Ink, Enamel, Pastel, Marker

Details

Santorini Sunrise

2010-08-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

Santorini Sunrise

16" x 24"

Acrylic Paint, India Ink, Enamel, Pastel,

Details

A Brief Retreat

2010-08-29T14:54:00.000-07:00

A Brief Retreat

25 1/2 " x 20 1/2 "

Acrylic Paint, Enamel, India Ink, Pastel

Details

On a Father's Shoulders

2010-08-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

On a Father's Shoulders

17 1/2" x 24"

Acrylic Paint, India Ink, Enamel, Pastel, Marker, Pencil

Details

Uncle Louie

2010-08-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

Uncle Louie

19 1/2" x 27 1/2"

Acrylic Paint, India Ink, Enamel, Pastel, Marker, Pencil

Uncle Louie Details

Bless You Boys !

2010-08-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

Bless You Boys

48" x 48"

Acrylic Paint, Enamel, India Ink, Pastel, Pencil

Bless You Boys Details

Process Video

At Dusk We Dream

2010-08-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

At Dusk We Dream

24" x 14 1/2"

Acrylic Paint , India Ink, Enamel, Pastel, Pencil

Details

Blue Heights

2010-08-03T23:45:00.000-07:00

Blue Heights

48" x 33"

Acrylic paint, Enamel, India Ink, Pastel

Blue Heights Details

New Painting

2010-08-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

Otylia Jane no.3

36"x 24 1/2 "

Acrylic Paint, Enamel, India Ink, Pastel

Otylia Jane no. 3 details

Carver Drumline

2010-07-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

Carver Drumline

33 1/4" x 24"

Acrylic Paint, India Ink, Enamel, Pencil, Pastel

Carver Drumline Details

Relocation

2010-07-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

After my recent graduation from college I have relocated to the beautifully infectious city of New Orleans. This is a city I have grown up being apart of simply because the majority of my family is from there. An undeniably unique community exists down here, one that I am sure will impact my life in amazingly unpredictable ways. I feel home in the Crescent City and my hope is that my art will eventually have a home here as well. In 30 days time I will be receiving an artist permit so I can begin selling my paintings on the streets of the French Quarter. For the next month all i'll be doing is painting and preparing my first series of work to hit the streets with. Starting with my first painting created in NOLA (carriage lean), this blog will serve as the place to check in and see my progress along this new journey of mine in a new place I am so proud to call home.

Carriage Lean

48"x 33"

Acrylic Paint, Enamel, India Ink, Pastel

Details of Carriage Lean

South Central Swag

2010-03-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

South Central Swag

18"x24" on Paper

Acrylic / Pastel / India Ink / Graphite

A Dipping Sun

2010-03-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

A Dipping Sun

48"x 36" on Plywood

Acrylic / India Ink / Pastel

Details

Lani :)

2010-03-07T14:12:00.000-08:00

Lani :)

48"x32" on Plywood

Acrylic / India Ink/ Pastel/ Tempera

Details

The Silo On The Hill

2010-02-28T15:46:00.000-08:00

The Silo On The Hill

48"x48" on Plywood

Acrylic / India Ink/ Pastel / Tempera

Details

CHINATOWN STROLL

2010-02-10T15:59:00.000-08:00

Chinatown Stroll

32"x48" on Plywood

Acrylic, India Ink, Tempera, Pastel, Marker

Details

Process Video

NEW PAINTING

2010-02-02T12:45:00.000-08:00

Otylia Jane No. 2

32"x48" on Plywood

Acrylic, India Ink, Pastel, Tempera

Details

Mardi Gras Indian

2010-01-30T11:57:00.000-08:00

Mardi Gras Indian

32"x48" on Plywood

Acrylic, India Ink, Pastel, Tempera

Details

New Pieces on Paper

2010-01-23T12:44:00.000-08:00

Oak Street At Its Finest

18"x24" on Paper

Acrylic, Soft Pastel, Oil Pastel, Charcoal, Graphite, India Ink

A Beach Moms Reflection
18"x24" on Paper
Acrylic, Soft Pastel, Oil Pastel, Charcoal, Graphite, India Ink

Coming Down Along A Rising Sun

18"x24" on Paper

Acrylic, Soft Pastel, Oil Pastel, Charcoal, Graphite, India Ink

NEW PAINTING!

2009-11-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

A Pair of Bare Trees

18 1/2" x 24" on 1/4" plywood

Acrylic /India Ink/ Tempera/Pastel

Details

Sunset On The North Shore

2009-11-06T13:04:00.000-08:00

Sunset On The North Shore

48"x32" on 3/4" plywood

Acrylic/ India Ink/ Tempera/ Pastel

Details

Process Video

Peace and Cheese

2009-11-06T12:57:00.000-08:00

Peace and Cheese

24"x29" on 1/4" plywood

Acrylic/India Ink/Tempera/Pastel

Details

~Viva Los Lakers~

2009-10-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

!Viva Los Lakers!

48"x32" on 3/4" Ply Wood

Acrylic/Tempera/India Ink/Pastel/Charcoal

Details

New Piece

2009-09-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

Room For Two

29"x24" on Wood Panel

acrylic/india ink/tempera/pastel

Details

New painting!

2009-09-18T03:22:00.001-07:00

Charlie Of Boston

32"x48" on 3/4" ply wood

Acrylic Paint/India Ink/Tempera/Pastel

Details

Process Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ6jxbtBIb0

Wolfman

2009-09-03T23:27:00.000-07:00

Wolfman

28"x18" on Paper

Charcoal/oil pastel/chalk pastel/acrylic paint/India ink

Details

A Shine In The Rain

2009-09-02T23:09:00.000-07:00

A Shine In The Rain

24"x18" on Paper

Charcoal/Pencil/ Acrylic/ Chalk Pastel

brand new piece

2009-08-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

My Downtown View

32" x 22" on 1/4" ply wood

Acrylic Paint/ Tempera/ Pastel/ India Ink

Details

Process Video

NEW PAINTING!

2009-08-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

Desert Bloom

31 1/2"x 48" on 3/4" plywood

Acrylic paint/ India Ink/ Pastel/ Tempera

Details

Process Video

I cant stop painting!?!

2009-08-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

Otylia Jane

31 1/2"x 48" on 3/4" ply wood

Acrylic Paint/ India Ink/ Tempera/Pastel

Details

another new painting

2009-08-19T02:48:00.000-07:00

The Kentucky Favorite

29"x36" on Wood Panel

Acrylic Paint/ India Ink/ Tempera/ Pastel

Details

Process Video

NEW PAINTING!

2009-08-16T01:32:00.000-07:00

The Bird And The Surf

48"x 32" on 3/4" ply wood

Acrylic paint/ india ink/ tempura/ marker/pastel

Details

process video

Newest piece

2009-08-14T02:05:00.000-07:00

Roberta Yuspeh

27 1/2" x 35" On Masonite

Acrylic Paint/India Ink/Tempera

Details

5 Paintings in 5 days

2009-08-11T06:26:00.001-07:00

Click on the images for a larger view

Salvador

48"x 30" on 3/4" ply wood

Acrylic Paint/ India ink/ pastel/ marker

Details

Thank You

48"x 27 7/8" on 3/4" ply wood

Acrylic Paint/ India ink/ pastel/ marker

Details

What are they looking at?

48"x 23 1/4" on 3/4" ply wood

Acrylic paint/ india ink/ pastel/ marker

Details

D.C.

28'x34 1/2" on Masonite

Acrylic paint/india ink/pastel/marker

Details

A Starry Twighlight in Chavez Ravine

48"x40" on 3/4" ply wood.

acrylic paint/india ink/pastels/marker

Details

A peek into my process

Digital Prints

2009-08-11T05:53:00.001-07:00

These two pieces were created using photographs printed in the darkroom and then scanned into the computer, where I used photoshop techniques to create the images. The first one is titled "LA MIGHT AS WELL BE ANOTHER PLANET" (Sort of my ode to the unusual dynamic of this huge city I have called home for the past four years). The Second is titled "That Wave There".

Underlying Form vs Superficial Representation

2009-08-11T05:52:00.000-07:00

Our exterior tends to dominate as a superficial indicator of who we are. As our appearances create false representations we seem to loose sight of the form in which everything is held within. Forging a more complex and faulty system to categorize how we interpret the daily stimulus within our lives. Thus causing less of a sense of commonality amongst people and nature. However if we look closely past the representations that go hand in hand with what we see, and more at the underlying forms that all things occupy, we might begin to see things more similarly, forgetting about the faulty judgments we tend to assign toward what we are unsure of in our world. These next series of prints are all aligned toward this idea of underlying form and superficial representation. Each piece was shot with 35 mm film, printed in the dark room, then scanned into the computer to be colorized and reprinted. I chose to display the inversions along with the reversion of each photo in a diptych form in order to help our eyes look more closely at form and shape along with the difference our eyes treat the inverted photos on the left hand side, and the reverted ones on the right hand side. My goal is to help train our eyes to interpret whats in front of us differently, allowing us to constantly remember the duality and complexities all things on this planet possess. I wanted to represent the beauty and positivity within these ideas by finding various color harmonies to lead our eyes across each piece. Allowing the viewer to more comfortably focus on the forms we see and the meaning we create within them. By adjusting the way we look at things, and by searching deeper for similarities within each-other, we might change the way we perceive a stranger and adjust the way we treat our land.

Who am I Without My Friends

2009-08-11T04:32:00.000-07:00

There is nothing more important than having good friends. People to confide in, people to share with. Close friends become extensions of oneself as our human tendencies cause us to live through each-other. To feel life and reality through the buffer of another human being is often how we become closer to ourselves. Some of the most beautiful aspects of friendship lie within the mystery of what the initial spark might ignite. The knowledge and inspiration derived from our encounters with these people are endless. They keep us on our toes and create discourse within our perspective, allowing the solidarity of our bias to soften, thus giving us all a chance to be more empathetic toward one another. The influence of all of this holds more weight toward who we are as individuals than we might ever possibly realize. I find it funny and almost ironic how we truly need others in order to further the exploration of our true individuality.

We tend to view friendship as something more standardized static and one dimensional. When in fact it’s completely dynamic. Some friendships can last a brief moment; as two strangers might find themselves in continuous conversation on a cramped airplane ride across the country. While some might not even be verbal, as the only responsibility the friendship might entail is the acknowledgment of a familiar pair of eyes as one traverses on the same route of their daily routines. Regardless, this very human trait found with in the desire for commonality and the necessity for interpersonal connection is what drives our evolution and continues to shape our world on both a micro and macro scale. This is why I firmly believe you can learn a lot about someone based on the people they hold close within theirs lives. The first pieces of artwork I would love to share are a few portraits of some close friends. I feel by knowing a little bit about each one of them you will learn a lot more about me, possibly something more insightful than I could ever give you entirely through words.

(if your my friend and i dont have your picture up here dont be mad its only because i havnt gotten a chance to photograph you yet:)

Hello World

2009-08-11T04:30:00.000-07:00

Passion is the one intangible aspect of our lives that will lead us toward a purpose in which we could never fully conceive on our own. It completely embodies the purest aspect of our individuality, and shines through each person as a symbol of their inherent uniqueness. In life some might not be fortunate enough to discover what they are genuinely passionate about. Some might not ever look deep enough within themselves to uncover where their true passions lie. While others discover it, harness it, and utilize it toward an ultimate purpose they might find within themselves. For this I am forever grateful. I am an artist and my passion lies within my ability to interpret the surrounding aspects of my life, with a foundation of logic, a structure built for change, and facade beaming with optimism. I am constantly on a search for something more while continuously documenting all that i feel and see along the way. Art for me resonates within my process of living, as my enthusiasm for doing so enables me to overcome anything. The love i possess for life allows me to find inspiration in just about everything, this in turn becomes interpreted into my personal form of artistic expression, which includes various drawings, photographs, illustrations, paintings, writings, or any new type of medium that finds it way into my life. My art is simply a record of myself. Its a process of my life. A Changing series of events and emotions. Few things are planned and most things are felt and everything hints toward a universal motif. Beauty, positivity, change, awareness, and love have no face, and require only genuine passion and commitment. Everything you see and read from here on out is an alignment of just that.