Standoff


This watercolor painting depicts two silhouetted figures standing apart in a vast, golden field under a cloudy sky, creating a mood of quiet tension and isolation against a distant mountainous backdrop.

Benjamin J. Young
American, 1990 - Current
Standoff ( 2024 )
Watercolor on Paper


About The Painting

Standoff portrays a poignant scene of two dark, silhouetted figures standing at a distance from each other in a sprawling, golden field of tall grass. The figure on the left is a woman, her form graceful but motionless, while the man on the right stands rigidly, facing away. The muted, overcast sky adds a somber tone to the setting, as the distant hills fade into the horizon. The vastness of the landscape, combined with the physical separation between the figures, evokes a powerful sense of emotional distance and quiet tension, as if they are connected yet worlds apart. The earthy colors and subtle textures enhance the painting’s contemplative, melancholic atmosphere.

This painting is apart of the Shades of Olson Collection.

Painting Detail Features

Click any image to view it, to inspect closer the main feature subjects of the painting.

Detail 1
Detail 2

Artwork Process

This one was pretty straight forward. I started it originally to test a new technique of using masking liquid to help paint grass. Plus my lack of grass detailing in Howard’s Hills left me hungry to paint something new to try it out. I blocked in the shapes, and from there it was just a matter of layering up the details and deepening the values.

Progress step 1
Progress step 2

Accolades


Where To Visit

The original painting is currently on display at Patina Arts Centre in Canton Ohio, and can be viewed there. The address is 324 Cleveland Ave NW, Canton, OH 44702.

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