Exhibition Poster Ben BrownSilver City, NM – Ben Brown presents a one-man exhibition of his exquisite abstract photographs on birch panels at the Grant County Art Guild's Studio at 307 N. Texas Street during early July. The opening reception will be held on July 3 from 4-7pm during the First Friday Art Walk. Additional dates are July 4, 5, 11, and 12 from 10am to 5pm.
In the 1970s, Ben explored Europe with his camera and a Eurail Pass, discovering myriad artistic disciplines and expressions. From paintings in France, mosaics in Spain, and pottery in Greece, he developed a passion for emulating the abstraction, geometry, and texture of these various art forms through the lens of his camera.
Back home in New Orleans, experimentation led him to a fascination with mosaics and textile shapes by pasting multiple photographic prints together, photographing them, and using the pattern as a template. This was prior to the use of personal computers. The compositions now have become more fluid and complex with Photoshop and the digital realm.
The limitless possibilities of abstract expression have always been at the heart of Ben's long adventure with photography. He has been a commercial photographer, a freelance photographer, a shipboard photographer, and certainly, at times, a struggling photographer.
Kacho No Mai (Dance of Bird and Flowers) Ben BrownBy utilizing fleeting reflections in water and the serenity of nature, Ben has pursued an aesthetic deeply rooted in antique Japanese screen (byobu) and scroll (kakejiku) paintings. There, space is a deliberate participant in composition, and nature is distilled, not explained. Ben was inspired by Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh and their fascination with "Japonisme."
Ben's friend, Diane Smith, states, "Through his camera lens, Ben has a delightful way of weaving a simple image into a complex mosaic pattern. His reflections in water challenge our senses to see images mirrored in pools, ripples, and flows. Ben is continually reinventing unique ways to see the world and in his current images of Japanese inspired panels, one is drawn into the Zen spirit they convey."
While the broad scope of nature has been the backdrop for exploring abstraction, water has been Ben's narrow focus. Currents and reflections on water afford infinite possibilities for defining beauty. The boldness of color, the detail in the instantaneous moment, or the view into the microcosmic, are literally the pictures Ben wants to paint.
Ben may be contacted at
