Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Steele.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Special effects are celebrations of the human imagination and painting is the greatest special effect of all. I am in love with magic, illusionism, creating the impossible, sleight of hand. I love the history of painting, how worlds have been described, and imagined, sometimes both at the same time. I subscribe to the romantic idea of a painter or artist as being an individual who creates things with their own hands. That in some way this stands in sharp contrast to modern technology. What am I able to accomplish, on my own, with my hands? I think that art can speak to individual human experience. Transcendence. Our place in a vast world.
Please tell us about your art.
Ben Steele
Impossible Objects
Impossible Objects is a series of oil paintings constructed to faithfully represent installations in my studio. The installations are composed of plaster, wood, mirrors, other optical instruments, and projected landscape imagery. I am interested in the feeling of infinity, which comes from the images of idealized landscapes, contrasted with the shallow depth of the actual space represented.
I have become fascinated with visual effects cinematography, or rather physical techniques employed to create a sense of the impossible before digital technology existed. I have used many of these techniques in installations, such as rear projection, matt cut out mirrors, as well as scale models and backdrops to create scenes which feel digitally manipulated and evoke other-worldy associations but are in fact from the natural physical world. These installations serve as inspiration for oil paintings whose subject refers back to the illusory act of painting. A viewer is made to believe in a scene that does not actually exist.
The images I project unto my installations are taken from old black and white science fiction TV series and films. These images utilize the very same techniques of prestidigitation in order to convince their audience of the impossible as I use in my installations. They become the backdrop or set to my own constructions. I use them to pay homage to a lineage of visual magicians while invoking their iconography.
The predominantly black and white palette comes from the black and white nature of all of my source material. However, as these projected images interact with actual form and other light sources, color seeps into my painted imagery. Subtle cool and warm tones vibrate within works and between works to create the impression of an actual seen and felt reality.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
I think the amount of self-promotion that artists have to do can drain them of their energy to make work. It is amazing to have such opportunity, to reach so many people through channels such as social media, but with all the noise out there also very hard to make yourself seen or heard. Humans also seem to be specializing so much more so it really seems like there should be more people who are really good at marketing trumpeting about all of this great art.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I am represented by Poem88. A gallery in Atlanta. You can visit their website here: http://www.poem88.net I show there regularly in addition to having been in exhibits at The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, and The High Museum locally. I am also going to be featured in the upcoming New American Painting volume number 136 which hits stands around the country in the next month.
Contact Info:
- Address: I live in Smyrna
- Website: www.steeleartist.com
- Email: bendsteele@gmail.com
- Instagram: bendsteele
Image Credit:
Ben Steele
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