13th April 1996 – I was born with one of my tiny fists clenched around a mysterious object. The doctors and nurses huddled around me and prised my little sausage fingers apart. It was a fully formed, high quality, 7B sketching pencil.
For some reason I wouldn’t let them take it. It was mine.
I started drawing in school, and picked up watercolours later on. That’s how I got into painting. A lot of the work I create now is with ink, (due to my failings with oils) and I’m constantly looking for ways to push my material to do something new, maybe something that it’s not supposed to do.
Ultimately it’s a curiosity that drives me; a curiosity with what ink and paint and other materials can do, and a curiosity with how I can transform the photos I take into something of magic, intrigue, and strangeness.
I’ve just graduated from Loughborough University, and I am now based in Croydon, UK. Embarking on another leg of the journey makes me look back to the first step: The time I was disqualified from my primary school’s christmas pudding design competition upon suspicions of tracing my design off an existing one. It was all me, baby. That put the wheels in motion.
Please feel free to contact me if you would like to know more about my work. They all have their strange stories behind them.
Thank you
Hello Benji,
Recently I have watched Landscape Artist of Year and I loved your piece! I thought your process of using bleach and ink was fascinating, and the use of ink reminded me of my own work. I am currently studying A levels in Fine Art, Photography and sociology at Ludlow college.
I would be thankful if you could tell me about the process and techniques of using bleach because I would love to incorporate this in my work for my latest project, based on walking in Fine art!
Kindest regards,
Gemma Moore 😀
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Hi Gemma, great to hear from you! Strange giving tips to an A level student I’m barely out of school myself! The ink and bleach thing I found out about in school and just sort of developed my own take on it. You need Quink Parker refill ink for it to work, a couple other pigments bleach as well, and then just some household bleach! I just sort of mucked around with it till I got some interesting results, it really is a versatile medium. All I’ll say is for gods sake don’t leave your brushes in bleach overnight or they’ll dissolve…apart from that just experiment with it! do you have any work I could take a look at? 🙂
All the best,
Benji
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Can’t believe you didn’t get to the final. Your work was head and shoulders above the rest and the judges should book in for eye tests immediately! Where Can I see more of your work in the flesh? Do you do commissions? Nick Jones
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Reading your comment put a smile on my face Nick haha. Is what it is but had a great time! In terms of in the flesh there is an exhibition of my work coming up in January at the Old Bank Gallery in Hayes my local area:)
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Hi Benji, like the other two I was impressed with you work on Landscape artist. However I tried this with Quink and bleach at home and couldn’t stop the ink from bleaching out the whole piece. I looked at my piece, liked it, left it and then later it was all gone. Other online chat seems to suggest that bleach will ultimately eat through the paper. Any thoughts on these two problems?
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Hi Steve,
Thanks very much I’m glad you enjoyed the show! Yes ink and bleach is an inherently unpredictable medium, partially why I like it. In terms of the bleach eating through the paper I haven’t had that issue yet, though I am aware that my work might not be “archivable” to the same degree as a lot of painted work. My submission piece for the show I did almost a year ago and its showing no sign of crumbling away, happily.
I do get a bit of fading but Ive never come back to it and its all gone! Interested to know how you managed that! How did you apply the bleach? I use Domestos thick bleach and standard black refill Quink.
Benji
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Hi Benji
Just thought I’d let you know I’m really liking your work hanging in The Old Bank Gallery. Very interesting indeed. I teach there once a week so it’s great to have my students inspired by the lovely pieces. It’s a fascinating use of materials and I think it’s helped my students to be bolder in what they paint – the usual story of art classes stiffness. Be brave ladies, be brave! I shall be sorry when the work is taken down as it always cheers me up.
There’s one I particularly like. The study for your larger one of the figure walking by the dry stone wall. I might be interested in taking that off your hands!
Anyway, all power to you and I look forward to your future works
All best wishes
Ian
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Hi Ian,
Apologies for not replying sooner I somehow missed your previous email. Thank you very much, very kind words. 🙂 That’s fantastic that my work has had some impact on the people coming in, the classes being a captive audience of sorts! ha. Yes sadly the work is coming down this coming Monday, but my work is available for sale afterwards anyway, just message me through the contact form on my website! Would be glad to send the Nomad Study your way.
All the best,
Benji
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Thanks Benji
The next time I sell a painting I’ll be in touch! Got a couple of commissions on the go so there will be some cash
All the best
Ian
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