Artwork
Browse through the collection of paintings by Benjamin Young. Everything from impressionism to realism, from watercolors to oil pastels, from landscape to still life.
Citrus Study
February 6, 2024
The Citrus Study painting features a still life composition with three objects that appear on a table. On the left is a green lime, partially blending from green to a yellowish hue, indicating ripeness or a variation in color typical of certain lime varieties. In the middle, there’s a red mug or cup with a visible handle on the right, suggesting it’s meant for a right-handed person to pick up easily. The mug’s rim is white, indicating the inside color and the reflection of light. On the right, there’s a lemon with a bright yellow color, indicative of its ripeness and tartness. The background and surface are in muted dark tones, with the surface reflecting a bit of light, giving a sense of a shadowed room. The painting style is textured, with visible brushstrokes marks, which give it a tactile quality. The color palette is quite naturalistic, with a strong contrast between the brightly colored objects and the dark background, drawing attention to the subjects of the still life.
Mac Reflections
February 3, 2024
The Mac Reflections painting depicts a close-up impressionism portrait of myself, rendered with a strong emphasis on texture and a limited color palette, to show it’s reflective nature. My figure is implied to be emerging from a dark background, with light only faintly illuminating the right side of the face. The strokes are expressive and sculptural, creating an array of thick, impasto strokes that give the image a dynamic and tactile quality. My expression is pensive and subdued, with eyes cast downward and away from the viewer, adding to the painting’s introspective quality. The overall effect is one of profound reflection, with the textured brushwork and dramatic chiaroscuro suggesting a moment captured in time, where the inner world of my personal subject is as significant as the outer representation. It’s a powerful image that invites the viewer to consider the subject’s thoughts and feelings.
Northern Cardinal
January 25, 2024
Northern Cardinal is a colored pencil drawing of a Northern Cardinal perched on a branch. The bird is depicted with a vibrant red plumage, which is characteristic of the male of the species. Its beak is orange-yellow, and the facial mask is black, extending from the beak around the eyes. The drawing captures the distinct crest of the cardinal, which is a pointy tuft of feathers on top of its head. The branch is rendered with a muted gray tone, contrasting with the bright red of the bird. The background is a soft, textured gray, allowing the cardinal to stand out prominently. The pencil strokes have created a sense of softness and detail, particularly in the feathers and the blending of colors.
Ms. Cezanne
January 20, 2024
The painting titled “Ms. Cezanne” features a woman reclined in a state of repose, stretching her arms above her head. Inspired by Paul Cezanne’s work. Rendered with loose, expressive pastel stroke, suggestive of an interest in capturing movement and form rather than strict realism. The color palette is rich and warm. With earthy tones of brown and ochre for the background and vibrant yellow and green highlighting what appears to be a natural setting. The woman’s skin is painted in naturalistic tones, with highlights and shadows adding to the three-dimensional effect. Using bold outlines in places to define the figure’s form. With an impressionistic feel, focusing on light and color to convey a mood rather than detailed precision. This painting exudes a sense of relaxation and connection with nature.
Fry's Tree
January 19, 2024
Fry’s Tree portrays a solitary, robust tree standing prominently in the center against a twilight or pre-dawn sky. Set in the Fry Family Park, of East Sparta Ohio. The leaves and branches creates a lace-like pattern against the sky, which shifts from a dark blue at the top to lighter hues near the horizon, indicating dusk or the approach of nightfall. There’s a sense of tranquility and solitude in this scene, as the tree stands alone in the quiet moments of transition between day and night.
Dyzee
January 18, 2024
This Dyzee painting is an abstract composition dominated by fluid, dynamic strokes and splashes of paint. The color palette is primarily monochromatic, featuring different shades of blue and black, with a significant contrast provided by a central burst of olive or moss green. The expressive lines and shapes seem to swirl around this central point of color, creating a sense of movement that draws the eye inward. The splatters and spots of paint across the canvas add to the feeling of spontaneity and action, suggesting the artist worked quickly and with a degree of improvisation.
Mono-chromatic Maelstorm
January 17, 2024
Monochromatic Maelstorm is an abstract painting. The color palette is primarily monochromatic, featuring different shades of black, gray, and white, with some areas where a deep, navy-like blue is present. The composition is dynamic, with fluid shapes and splatters distributed across the canvas. The use of black and blue creates a sense of depth and contrast against the lighter areas. There are also spots where the paint seems to have been allowed to drip or splatter freely, giving the piece a spontaneous and expressive feel.
Aqua
January 14, 2024
This is a striking monochrome painting that captures a moment of fluid elegance, titled simply Aqua. It depicts a wine glass caught in the midst of a dynamic swirl, with the liquid inside defying gravity in a graceful arc that stretches above the rim. The movement is frozen in time, with the liquid’s surface tension creating an almost sculptural form that reaches upwards. The artist has skillfully represented the play of light and shadow, giving the impression of a sparkling, translucent liquid. The glass’s thin stem and stable base contrast with the liquid’s volatility, providing a sense of balance to the composition. The simplicity of the background ensures all attention is focused on the interaction between the glass and its contents, highlighting the delicate beauty of a fleeting moment that would otherwise be missed.
Drip
January 12, 2024
The Drip painting captures the ephemeral beauty of a single water droplet impacting a still surface. A central column of water rises sharply, surrounded by a crown of droplets reflecting the moment’s dynamic motion. The surface tension creates a series of concentric ripples that emanate outward, masterfully rendered in varying shades of grey, suggesting the gentle yet persistent spread of energy away from the point of impact. The artist has skillfully used a monochromatic palette to depict the clarity and purity of water, with careful attention to the gradations of light and shadow that give the scene a three-dimensional quality. The painting combines precision and softness, immortalizing a fleeting instance of natural harmony.
Watermelon Slice
December 27, 2023
Juicy! A fruity painting that depicts a slice of watermelon. Watermelon Slice is a realistic drawing that captures the vibrant red flesh of the fruit, complete with black seeds scattered throughout. The watermelon slice has a green rind, transitioning from a darker green on the outside to a paler green towards the inner red flesh. The drawing has a textured appearance from the water colored pencils, and there’s a gentle shadow under the slice, giving it a sense of depth and dimension. The background is plain and lightly textured. Hang it up in your summer themed kitchen, like the basic, normal, coffee drinking, white person you are.