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Liquitex Featured Artist
W. Bennett Berry
Oklahoma City, OK
website:
http://www.howellgallery.com/wbberry.html
Biography
Bennett Berry is a nationally recognized artist based out of Oklahoma City. Berry’s work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in California, New York City, Ohio, Brittany, and Kentucky. In addition to appearing in numerous Oklahoma publications and magazines, Berry’s work has also been featured in nationally publications like Southwest Art and California Homes. Known for painting in several distinct aesthetics, his work will range from impressionist/post-impressionist inspired landscapes, to minutely detailed city scenes, to large scale figurative pieces that are more reminiscent of the baroque period with a pop art influence.
Berry has been recognized by Oklahoma City Business as one of the top forty professionals under the age of forty in Oklahoma City. His work can be seen in numerous public and private collections nation wide, including the collections of the State of Oklahoma, Denison University(OH), Mid First Bank, the Muckenthaller Museum and Cultural Center (CA), and the University of Oklahoma Health and Sciences Center. He is represented by the Howell Gallery in Oklahoma City, OK.
Statement
Currently, my focus is on figurative painting. These works are mostly done on a large scale ranging from 30”x40” to 5’x8’. The inspiration for a painting can be based on something I’ve seen in an ad on television, something I’ve read or heard a person say (for example, the phrase “don’t be mad at elegance”), or an image from a magazine ad. I start in Photoshop with an image from either my own photography, a magazine ad, a jpg file off the internet, or a picture I’ve taken from television. I change things here and there, adding figures and swapping things here and there. If I think one person’s head looks better than the one in the photo, the head gets replaced. From there I print out the photo and sketch from that. Sketches, depending on the intricacy, are either done in chalk or acrylic paint. I always put a base layer of acrylic down on the canvas first.
The conceptual value will vary from piece to piece. Some are based around an idea and others are simply because I liked the way it looked. Having a dry sense of humor, the majority of these paintings will have some subtle absurdity to them. Advertising, specifically from the late 1950’s, has had a great influence both conceptually and aesthetically. My favorite pieces will juxtapose a serious visual approach with text and subject matter that falls short of the aesthetic’s stoic nature. The colors are bright, but the brush work is very tight with an intent on visual realism.
The idea is to present a person who feels some sense of superiority and use text, additional images or figures, or the visual context of the subject to present a sense of obliviousness on their part. For example, I may have an extravagantly dressed woman caught in an unfortunate candid pose and then pair her with my dog looking ahead at the viewer with a look of understood annoyance. Sometimes people “get” paintings from this series and sometimes they have no idea. I enjoy it when my intent is understood, but it’s just as much fun when the viewer loves the painting but has no clue that it pokes fun at a certain mindset that they may actively indulge in.