Ben's Art

I started sketching some scenes around Montreal in the summer of 2022 as a more serious exploration of my art. I ended up with a few nice studies which are called thumbnail sketches. They're all done with one pencil, a 9B grade which is the darkest lead and allows for some really deep shading. This was cool because getting the light and shadows right is a huge element of any art. Plus, it was fun to bounce around on the hunt for scenes to sketch "plein air" without having to plan it or carry around a ton of gear.

Eventually, I felt I wanted to expand my art and use some color. I chose oil painting, so I got the gear and pretty much learned the basic techniques on my own. Over the fall and into 2023 I made quite a few paintings that I'm pretty happy with. I still hope to develop my own style which I can see in my sketches, but not yet in my paintings.

Jump quickly to the sketches or paintings sections.