A self-taught artist, Marilyn Dover Benson has mostly painted landscapes and still life pieces over the past decade. But a new group show at the Santa Maria Airport, curated by Valley Art Gallery, is highlighting a different side of Benson’s range. She described her new venture into the abstract as “a radical change” from her usual realistic style of painting.
One of Benson’s featured acrylic pieces in the exhibit, titled Aqua Flow, was “fun to accomplish, although somewhat hard on my hands,” the artist said—before detailing some of the materials involved.
“I heavily textured the canvas and then created a flowing shape that I filled with crushed glass,” Benson told the Sun. “The painting is wired to permit being hung either vertically or horizontally.”
Benson described another abstract piece in the show, titled Enso, as “a very calming, serene painting.” This intricate multimedia creation of a circle within a circle, which Benson said can symbolize the circle of life among other things.
“The raised circle was achieved by laying modeling paste and texturing each layer with a sculpting tool,” she said. “I then painted the inner circle with a faint blush of paint, which could be interpreted as sunrise.”
Although diving into abstract art was a big switch for Benson, her process and workflow remained consistent throughout the experiment.
“I rigidly adhere to this self-imposed schedule, as there never seem to be sufficient hours in a day to accomplish all the paintings I want to do,” said Benson, who maintains a strict painting shift between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day in her private studio at her home.
Benson also explained why she was able to keep painting under these time constraints over the past few months. As a self-described homebody, working while quarantined throughout the COVID-19 crisis hasn’t phased Benson much.
“During the course of the pandemic, my life hasn’t significantly changed. I’m somewhat an introvert and always spend each day in my home studio,” Benson said. “The only negative impact is not being able to easily go to stores for art supplies—but thank goodness for the internet; I can order paints to be delivered right to my doorstep.”
Painting daily is a key ingredient to refreshing your artistry, Benson explained, and advises up-and-coming artists to discipline themselves with a consistent schedule similar to her own. She also suggests that beginners simply observe their own surroundings and find the beauty in them.
“Make sure you paint something daily,” Benson said. “My advice to any aspiring artist is to stretch your imagination and try to capture the beauty all around you.”
Those interested in Benson’s work can check out her new abstracts at the airport through the end of September, or online at her website (marilyndoverbenson.com). She also offers private, scheduled visits to her studio at home. Window shoppers are welcome, as no purchases are required to stop by and enjoy the art, she said.
“I’m fortunate enough to have a home studio that is currently open for private tours—very appealing to those who want to do something different,” Benson said. “[Guests] can enter and exit through a private entrance and can browse to their heart’s content.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood needs external consequences to maintain any kind of disciplined routine. Send scheduling advice to cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Sep 3-10, 2020.