Karen Benton
Statement
Colour, texture and composition have always defined my vision. Through life, work and travel experiences I have been influenced by how these elements act as a backdrop to daily life throughout the world.
My home, Sydney is a city of vibrant colour. Experiences in the deserts of Australia and North Africa have imprinted the burnt and neutral colours of arid environments in my mind. Living in and travelling to cities in Europe and the Middle East have exposed me to exuberant colours and urban textures.
In my art, I seek to combine influences as diverse as urban scrawls, the patina of scarred surfaces, landscape markings and oriental motifs. Windows, reflections, and arched doorways merge with the calm of open spaces.
Each painting is about the relationships that form its composition and the ongoing dialogue among the elements of colour, texture and shape.
My work is continually evolving. Spontaneous yet disciplined, I apply layers of paint, scraping back, scratching into and scarring the surface in order to challenge the existing state of the work. Layers are built up and then partially obscured, leaving evidence of what went before. Calligraphic lines merge with slashing brushstrokes. I allow spontaneity, speculation, change and discovery to help me produce a range of exciting abstract and figurative compositions.
Commissions
Commissions accepted in clients
choice of palette and size |
