User:Robert Lee Benjamin

In 1980, Benjamin opened his own foundry, Southwest Bronze, in downtown Albuquerque and began to teach bronze sculpture casting and mold-making techniques. He also started to freelance his designs for children's clothing, creating fun pieces that featured cartoon dinosaurs. At the same time, he became an art director for advertising projects in print and television. In 1995 Benjamin began to work with Impressionist landscape painter Les Hawks. "We'd go out on road trips together and paint outdoors." Benjamin recalls. "He's the one who opened up my eyes to see how to paint. He exposed me to a different way of painting, using the Theory of Three as a basis for creating an abstract design out of value, shape and color." After Hawks became ill, Benjamin began to work with pastels in his studio. In 1998, he met artist Rebecca Lowe, and the two realized they shared a similar passion for art. Together, they began The Calendar Project - a series of pastels created from pictures they took of inspiring places around the state. Traveling across the state in an Explorer, the pair trekked to places off the beaten path - and adobe church in the Golden during an October sunset, a snow-covered slope near Cimarrón, a lush green meadow in San Patricio, a special stream in Abiquiú illuminated by a setting snow, a red bluff in Prewitt. "We just got lost chasing the light." Benjamin said. "We had to figure out where we were when we got back. We went until we ran out of gas." Today, Benjamin's work belongs to numerous museum collections, including the Smithsonian Institution National Collection of Fine Art, the New Mexico Museum of Fine Arts and the Navajo Tribal Museum in Window Rock, Ariz. A national traveling exhibit, "Lithography in New Mexico," curated by the Museum of New Mexico, features one of Benjamin's prints, and his work also is represented in various public and private collections, including the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Ariz., the New Mexico Museum of National History in Albuquerque and the University of New Mexico Medical Center Cancer Research and Treatment Facility in Albuquerque. His series of pastels created for New Mexico Magazine's 2001 Distinguished Artist Calendar capture stunning scenes of serene wilderness. At first glance, Benjamin's sophisticated palette and realistic images call to mind photo realism. But it's evident that his images are indeed painted. "I used very deliberate pastel applications," the artist says. "I pushed the use of the medium in every direction. I didn't approach this work with any rules." Instead, the artist made sure the design of each page told a tale, making the composition as strong as it could be, relying on nature's own colors to create the beauty. "You don't paint with paint," Benjamin said. "You paint with light." Benjamin's canvases contain scenes that the artist composed in the lens of a camera. But once he began to portray the picture on canvas, he frequently rearranged components, until the landscape suited his artistic eye. "I call it lying, cheating and stealing when it comes to changing colors and shapes." He says laughing heartily. "Sometimes I'll take a tree out, or add one in." The result, however, appeals to those who love the wilderness and the intoxicating beauty of New Mexico. Written by: Lynn Cline for the New Mexico Magazine

Robert L. Benjamin, resident since 1971. Bob spent his formative years in northeastern, receiving encouragement and strong interest in the visual arts at an early age from his mother, executing his first oil painting at the age of ten. Bob won several state and national awards for commercial design while still in high school, including a journalism award for editorial cartooning from. Upon graduation from he was accepted by the Ivy School of Professional Art,. After several years of study, during while Bob availed himself of the many cultural amenities of, he began to visualize a more expansive natural setting as inspiration for his fine art. At this juncture he began to take a serious look at the southwest. Arriving in in fall of 1971, Bob worked as a graphic designer and illustrator, continuing to develop his stylistic approach. He worked briefly in a frame shop, receiving framing services in lieu of pay. In 1976, Bob began working under the direction of Master Printer, Ben Adams, at Western Graphics Lithography Studio. He assisted many notable artists in preparing their drawings for printing. At this same time, he printed a number of his own lithographs, selling entire editions of contemporary southwestern hand-pulled original prints to a national distributor, American Designs, Ltd. Bob's fine art prints sold widely throughout the to institutions and private collectors alike. Many of Bob Benjamin's lithographs are in the permanent collections of museums. A national traveling exhibit, "Lithography in ", curated by the featured one of his prints. The New Mexico Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe; the Roswell, New Mexico, Museum and Art Center; and the Navajo Tribal Museum, Window Rock, Arizona; have Bob's lithographs in their permanent collections. He is represented in the collections of the ; the and Treatment Facility, ; the Smithsonian Institution National Collection of Fine Arts, ; The Museum of Natural History, ; and other public and private collections. Although benefiting while employed by Western Graphics from contact with such artist luminaries as Charles Lovato, Jerry Ingram, R.C. Gorman, Travis Whitfield, Russell Hamilton, Earl Biss and others, Bob became restless to broaden his creative horizons. He began studying another form of multiple originals: bronze sculpture. Again he sought guidance from the experts, studying casting techniques with art/caster A.J. Keith and art foundry director Tommy Hicks, of Shidoni Foundry,. In January 1980, Bob and a partner opened Southwest Bronze, a sculpture foundry and artist contract studio, in downtown. Many artists published sculpture editions under Bob's guidance. He also taught bronze sculpture casting and mold-making techniques. He was known for generously sharing information and for his knowledge as an art publisher. Ever restless to gain new experience and knowledge, Bob began studying steel sculpture fabrication at the with sculptor, David Anderson. After making the determination that Southwest Bronze had fulfilled its mission, in 1986, he found himself involved in many design projects. He designed children's wear for an international market, was an art director for several advertising agencies, and in 1992, attended computer classes at the to further hone his illustration and design skills. At this time, he also designed silver jewelry still in production and garnered several commercial art awards. In 1995, Bob turned to landscape painting full-time, working with impressionist landscaper painter, Les Hawks. He traveled the entire state of for artistic inspiration from the beauty of its land forms and the excitement of its dramatic lighting. In 1998, New Mexico Magazine invited Bob to be the published 2001 Distinguished Calendar Artist for their millennium issue. His expression and artistic vision of the innate beauty of the landscape continues to be celebrated. Today, Robert Benjamin lives in and continues to paint southwestern landscapes and design various art forms. Charles Bennett, Palace of the Governors Assistant Director,