Check Out Ben Quinn’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Quinn.

Hi Ben, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I got where I am today by being driven to make stuff. I went to grad school for studio art in San Francisco and eventually made my way down to LA for more opportunities and a bigger city. My waking hours are essentially consumed by absorbing inspiration and piecing images together, thinking about what to make and how to make it, and then actualizing it in some sort of creative impulse, mostly paintings. All my income gets recycled into making art, which comes with certain sacrifices as well.

I have to give a big thank you to Acne Studios who picked me up for a runway collection a few years ago, and that has really helped generate some momentum towards expanding on ideas and making new work, helping sustain and grow my studio practice.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Truthfully no. Being an artist and also a person with access to the internet and Instagram comes with a lot of self-doubts. There have been times when I didn’t know if anything would ever happen or how I could keep the dream alive, and that definitely still comes in waves.

Financial stuff is hard, making art and maintaining a dedicated studio is expensive, living is expensive, and that stuff can get you down. Making the work is the easiest part of being a creative person, but there are always life obstacles that get between you and the paintbrush.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a Fine Artist, which I guess pertains mostly to painting, sculpture, etc., specifically nonfunctional and aesthetic works, lol. I consider myself primarily a painter, but sometimes incorporate sculpture or sound into an exhibition. I would say I specialize in watercolor painting, but the materials and techniques I have developed are different from the traditional use. I like to work in large formats, often with painting and photography together in the same work.

Using a photograph glued to canvas as a painting substrate I like to look more closely into the image in order to recolor, accentuate, and contextualize.

What I’m known for is most likely the painting of the vibrating star form. I’ve been painting these sorts of hypnotic, wormhole-like stars on canvas for many years and that’s largely what Acne Studios picked up for their collection. The star for me is sort of the genesis of all things or can be seen in some cases more specifically as certain moments in time. This year I’ve been attempting a bridge between the two conceptually; the star and the photographic work as energetic stamps that communicate with one another. I’d say I’m most proud of the hours I put in at the studio for the shows I’ve had this year. I feel like for 2022 I really went after some big visions and they all came together. It’s nice to know I can manifest an idea. What sets me apart from others maybe is being a weird haunted person, and that being reflected back into the work in an interesting way. I try to make authentic and abstract representations from my experience on Earth.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I have no idea. What I hope for, is more city, state, federal, and private funding for the arts in general, more direct support for individual artists, and a new gallery paradigm in benefits the artist. At all levels really. Something outside of the gallery system/sales that guarantees support for people working in creative fields, and specifically studio art, which is not often a job placement or workforce sort of skill. I think we’ll probably see a lot of museums change their names for PR reasons, and pursue different and more dynamic and rotating exhibitions. Hopefully, the AI takeover doesn’t get heavily applied to the Fine Arts, and people will still value things made by a human hand.

This applies to many aspects of visual media, but it would be a shame to see the world turn into computer-generated NFTS that get traded back and forth by computers, I do hope people get their checks and buy IRL artworks in whatever way from living artists. I don’t think there will ever be a substitute for the way a painting feels to make or see, but painting will become further obsolete probably as things move forward through image alone. Life is exponential so who knows? There will always be space for art, but more would be great. Support the Arts.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://benquinn.info
• Instagram: @ben__quinn
• Other: http://guillotinesilverwolf.bandcamp.com

Image Credits
Chris Grunder and Ruben Diaz