Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Benayun.
Daniel, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was born in Jerusalem and moved to Newton when I was 4. My introduction to art happened in the third grade. Mark Canner, my teacher at that time had classroom walls lined with comic book strips. Particular works included Herge’s Tin Tin, and Charles Shultz’s Peanuts. My fascination in comics grew as quickly as my focus in class fell. Fortunately, my brilliant teacher Mark rode with this interest, instructing my mom to go out and buy me compendiums of Tin Tin volumes and “The Man in the Ceiling” By Jules Feiffer, and some other works by important artists. It was just a few months later I found myself making comics to be published in our school’s newspaper and all at the ripe age of 8.
When I was 19 and a junior in college, I began an apprenticeship at SOWA in the South End of Boston with the abstract painter Fernando DeOliviera. In 2009 Fernando generously lent me his gallery for my first solo show which was a life changing event for me. Somehow, I sold nearly all 40 pieces of work on the opening night and had a feature in the Boston Globe. It is still one of my proudest moments as an artist. Through the show I met other gallery owners and connected with practicing artists. This was a window into a world which had previously been an abstract concept to me.
Following the success of SOWA, I entered a 3-4-year long slump of trying to replicate the success I had at SOWA, which ultimately led me to a short-lived career of freelance work. I originally went to school to become a freelance illustrator. During this time as a designer I had numerous bad experiences with what simply felt like unfulfilling work.
Until 2015 I had neglected creating art for myself. The shift towards making “fine” art occurred after realizing that I never felt proud of the work I was creating for clients. One reason for this was I was not developing originality in what I was creating. When I did finally begin to focus on personal art I painted over 60 paintings in the course of about a year. I had tremendous focus on creating what I wanted to see with little concern for what others would think. I took a gamble on my vision and I am still following this mode of creation today and I can’t complain.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I create art in a traditional manner, I usually work with gouache which is an opaque form of watercolor and I paint typically on paper. I buy huge rolls of 50-foot-long printmakers paper that I cut up in my studio to fit the composition I am making. My process usually begins with writing. I have kept journals since the age of 8. From there I do a lot of drawing on the computer. I like using the computer because I tend to want to move figures around the composition a lot. This gets me to the actual painting quicker. I can spend 2 to 4 days on a painting but I have had some work take weeks. The longer the work takes the more likely I am to hate it. After finishing a painting, I never come back to its which I think says a lot about how committed I am to the sketch making process.
About my subject matter; One of the first ways I ever made money on my own was by selling antiques and objects I found at yard and estate sales. All of this is to say that I have always surrounded myself with objects, art and ephemera from the early and mid-1900s. What I create has become inspired by the aesthetics from this time period. The 1950’s brought about a major movement in advertising which went hand in hand with the creation of pop art. I see the artwork I create as a way of utilizing the stylings of pop art and mid-century design to express my own narrative. If I am not simply creating a pretty picture I am often flipping a theme from the past on its head which is usually presented paradoxically. Politically and ethically there is so much wrong with the entirety of the 20th century; sexism, racism, homophobia and war. With that being said, I do not create my art out of reverence for this period past, rather I create to reimagine this time period in a way I believe to be morally sound. In this way, there is a duplicity in each painting I make, on one hand it is referential to the damages of this time, on the other, I try to create something that is visually beautiful lending itself to the visual aesthetics of the past.
What do you think about conditions for artists today? Has life become easier or harder for artists in recent years? What can cities like ours do to encourage and help art and artists thrive?
I think that artists today have it easier in many ways, I have connected with people all over the world thanks to sites like Instagram. Of course, because anybody can share their work, there is more difficulty standing out. To stand out you really have developed your own form of public relations. I have been enjoying that component. Recently I had a $1 auction for a painting of mine on Instagram, it was a way to make my work accessible to anyone, something I could not quite do in a traditional gallery setting.
My advice to fellow artists can be summed up in a quote from the spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle that says “thinking is the biggest addiction known to man.” Try to enjoy painting for its ability to transport you mentally. The actual process of painting has always been a way for me to just be completely present in the moment which paradoxically can create isolation. With that being said, it is important as an artist to stay connected with the world. The bigger picture is to seek balance in all of this and be as kind to yourself in the process as possible.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
The single greatest way you can support me is to reach out and schedule a studio visit. I love meeting people who care about the arts. Some of the best friends I have made in my life started as strangers who contacted me for a studio tour. Another way to connect is follow me on Instagram @daniel_benayun_ I post my gallery shows and events as they happen. I have exhibited throughout New England but I am not currently on exhibit. I have been hoarding paintings for about a year for a solo show.
I do have representation at 13 Forest Gallery in Arlington. 13 Forest is an outstanding gallery that features a lot of excellent artists. The owners Marc and Jim are great and very intelligent people. If you haven’t been to their space be sure to check them out. I also take part in very regularly scheduled trunk shows which is one of my favorite ways of connecting with new people. if any of you reading would like to attend feel free to send me a message via my website. www.danielbenayun.com
Contact Info:
- Email: danielbenayun@yahoo.com
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