SYLVIE CARTER

‘The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery”, Francis Bacon

Chatting to professional oil painter, watercolourist and more recently sculptor, Ben Winspear was intrigueing and fun. I had the good fortune of meeting with Ben and viewing his wide variety of painting subjects from hauntingly beautiful figures, landscapes to still life abstracts.

Ben is passionate about painting the Australian landscape and his paintings are powerful stories presented via a blend of representational realism and the abstract. What I particularly admire is Ben’s thinking behind his work using a sensitive approach to the treatment of light and dark ‘Chiaroscuro’ which combined to take the viewer on a journey of reflection and discovery.

Ben has been painting professionally for over 21 years and is a third generation artist. He works in his Melbourne, Australian studio and loves to paint outdoors. Ben is also an art teacher and he shared with me during this interview a few really good tips for students of art and also those budding art teachers out there. For example, one of a few great take aways I found in my conversation with Ben, was to remember to stop and look at my paintings early in the making and ask the question “Is it finished?” If it looks abstract that’s okay as it could be fininshed and possibly help to create some mystery.

One of Ben’s favourite quotes is by Francis Bacon, Irish-born figurative painter, philosopher and statesman who once said ‘The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery”. This and other quotes Ben uses to fuel and inspire his student’s creativity and thinking. So I hope you enjoy learning more about Ben and if you do, please don’t forget to subscribe and hit the like button. Enjoy the journey!