First Place : United Creators Second Annual Online Juried Arts Competition
Ben Marxen's paintings paintings evoke movement, energy and optomism. By marrying traditional painting techniques with new media technology, he has created a patented artistic language all his own that embraces the future while being rooted in tradition.
Describe your earliest beginnings as an artist.
I have vivid memories as a 4-year-old drawing inside the covers of my children's books. We didn't have much money and white paper was in short supply, so I found blank sheets of paper of any kind to be very appealing. Around that time, my parents noticed I had a natural ability to capture details that my older siblings did not. I was also very lucky to benefit from a great school that provided me with additional art courses designed to further develop my artistic skills. This special attention proved to be an essential part of establishing a solid foundation to build from. At the age of 12, I enrolled in my first college art course and things just took off from there.
What was a defining moment in your early development as an artist?
By the time I was 13, I set out to capture my teachers' and classmates' likenesses on paper. I can still remember the exhilaration I felt when I finally accomplished this goal. It was as if I had awakened one morning and discovered I had super powers. This eventually led to a series of comic books depicting not so flattering caricatures of individuals I didn't approve of. It provided a great sense of empowerment for me and immediately elevated my social status among my peers. It was that year that really began to see the power and influence art can have on people.
Describe your driving force or motivation to create artwork.
The act of making art gives my life meaning.
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