Robie Benve Art

"Clouds on Blue" 8"x10, Oil on board Sold How on Earth Do You Paint Clouds? I used to find clouds very challenging and intimidating to paint. Then, one day, in 2013, I jumped right in, during a painting workshop, I asked the teacher - Kim Casebeer, a very talented plein air painter - to help me paint clouds, she gave me one of the million photos she took of Kansas skies and lands and advised me to start from that. I started, I made mistakes, I corrected them, and I only asked her for advice a few times, but knowing I had her available if I got stuck made me braver, and I broke the ice with painting clouds. Well, technically, I had painted clouds before, but with effort and doubtful results. Look at me now: skyscapes are among my favorite subject! Between sunsets, sunrises, and cloudy skies, that's a big part of my body of work. This is the reference photo for the painting above. I took it at the soccer stadium while waiting for the Crew game to ...

"Evening Snow at Thompson Park" 8"x10" Oil on panel Framed Available at High Road Gallery & Studios I love how loose and impressionistic this winter scene came out, with the light snow that lets the ground peak through. I painted fairly quickly over a start of a different landscape painting that was not heading the right direction. The colors that were already on the canvas really did a great job as under-tone for the new one. The scene if a local park, near my house. I wanted to sit on the bench and look at the sunset, but it was too cold and wet for my taste, so I stood there briefly, took a photo, and then kept enjoying my walk on the path. :) Come see it at High Road Gallery & Studios, 12 E Stafford Ave, Worthington, OH. Open Fri & Sat 12-4 pm. Special receptions on Sat Dec 8, 12-4 pm, and Sunday Dec 9, 2-5 pm.

I really like the impressionistic look I get when I paint a landscape on location. "Walking the Dog at Schiller Park" 12"x12" Oil on panel Available I kept this painting very loose but at the same time detailed enough to know exactly what you are seeing, and there are quite a few things that I like about it. My favorite detail is probably the person walking the dog, the moment he walked by I just had to capture that red shirt and its reflection on the water. Just what all that green needed!

"Schiller Park Bridge" 9"x12" Oil on panel Sold   Plein air painting is all about immersing yourself in the landscape during the painting process, and fully enjoying the experience . After many spring outings with awful weather, this day was really beautiful. Sunny and breezy. I finally truly enjoyed every second of it. Sometimes I add a few final touches to the plain air paintings in the studio, after I get home. That's because: 1. Two hours are usually not enough (at least for me) to complete a painting and also add final details. 2. Back in my studio I can look at the painting with fresh eyes, and notice right away some things or changes that are needed. But this time I did not touch it any more. This is true 100% done on location, with no come-backs. Some areas are a little unresolved, but I like that. In my learning curve of painting skills and techniques, I am at the point where I try to stop while I am ahead. Too often I end up over-wor...

"Heading South" 18"x24" oil on canvas, framed Available at High Road Gallery 12 E Stafford Ave Worthington, OH Several months ago my friend Rene Nitsche posted a beautiful sunset photo on facebook and I was immediately inspired to paint it. It took me a while, but here is the finished piece. I took some artistic liberty and added a flock of birds at the horizon. I think it soves a nice touch, and it also inspired the title. I love the warmth and the sense of serenity that comes out of this scene. : ) Local? Join Us! at the  Two-Day Event  Celebrating 200 year of existence of our home Dec 8, noon - 4 pm Dec 9. 2-5 pm High Road Gallery 12 E Stafford Ave Worthington, OH       Blessings, Robie

  Once again, being a student at the Columbus Cultural Arts Center, I get the opportunity to participate in the Annual Columbus Recreation and Parks Department’s Studio Sale.  This year it's moving to a new location, bigger and with lots of free parking. There will be 50+ artists selling their creations from all mediums: ceramic, jewelry, fiber art, printing, fashion, painting, and more. I have been blessed to be chosen as the featured artist to be interviewed by the news about the sale. Thanks a lot to Gary Seman for this wonderful interview! (link) Below is the short video that Gary took during the interview with me inviting people to come to the event. I think this is my fourth year participating in the studio sale, or maybe the fifth? I lost count! lol It's a two days event full of smiles and awesome feelings, I love being a part of it! I'm bringing several of my paintings, including several oils and some from the new series of ...

"Revitalized Short North" Oil on canvas 18"x24" SOLD The Short North, the Columbus Arts District, gets better and better. Every time I visit there something new going on, and I'm not only talking about the never-ending constructions, lol. I have painted quite a few versions of the iconic arches with the glowing lights. This one it's a little bigger than the other arch paintings that I have completed so far; the bigger size allowed me to get more details in, though still trying to keep it loose. I really like how it turned out. Thanks a lot to the collector that purchased it from the Marcia Evans Gallery, in the Columbus Short North Arts District.

"Hopes and Smiles" 12'x12" Oil on  linen panel in floater frame Sold Another en plein air landscape painting of the Park of Roses, in Clintonville, OH. I did this one day after the previous post. I really loved that tall tree with cool colors, and I enjoyed the challenge of painting it, as well as the sprinkles of the fountain.

"New Buds of Joy" Oil on linen panel in floater frame 9"x12" Sold A Plein air landscape painting of the Park of Roses in Clintonville, OH. The roses were blooming that week, and the whole experience of being at the park was really joyful. I had a lot of fun painting with palette knives. It creates a nice texture, and it keeps me out of the temptation of adding too many details.

"Short North Lit Up" 8"x10" Oil on linen $200 Available through Marcia Evans Gallery I've been fascinated by the Columbus Short North arches and evening lights for a while. I love walking there - even now that there is quite a mess with major constructions everywhere, lol. It's a beautiful part of the city that feels very lively and it's full of restaurants and art galleries. Every first Saturday of the month there is a Gallery Hop, and when I went to the September one I took a bunch of photos for reference. This is one more painting from those images, this time in oil. Marcia Evans Gallery 8 E Lincoln St Columbus, OH

I'm thrilled to announce that two of my paintings have been accepted into the Farms en Plein Air , the 2018 Ohio Plein Air Society Member Show at Springfield Museum of Art. It's such an honor to be included in that amazing group of talented artists! I'm looking forward to seeing the show and attending the reception on Dec 8th. Show Dates:  Dec. 8, 2018  – March 9, 2019 Springfield Museum of Art 107 Cliff Park Rd, Springfield, OH 45504 "Everal Barn" Oil on board 11"x14" I completed Everal Barn last spring in Westerville, OH. "I'll Be Bright with You" Oil on linen panel 9"x12" I did "I'll Be Bright With You" in September. I was lucky to be there on the last day the sunflowers were still in full beauty. I went back a second day to finish the painting and they were all drooping down and sad looking. Good thing I had them all blocked-in on the panel and I could keep going with the painting wi...

Ok, here is the final grouping of all the paintings I have completed in Sept 2018. They are not 30, but some are quite large and took several days, so no complaints here. Five are oil paintings, 11 are mixed media. I'm afraid I might have forgotten one or two... oops.  Paintings completed in September 2018 by Robie Benve Not too bad, eh? :) I left out a bunch of unfinished abstract background paintings that I have done, they'll come in handy for the next round. They'll be my head start. :) Once again, thanks a lot to Leslie Saeta for setting up the painting challenge and for leading the way. Here is the link to the challenge page. https://www.saetastudio.com/september-2018-30-in-30-paintings Peace :)

These are two more pieces that I've worked on during the month of September, during the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. These are oil paintings, and I worked on them in small intervals at my studio at the High Road Gallery & Studios. I left all my oil paints there and the mixed media paints and tools in my home studio, so wherever I went, I had some work in progress, and it's kind of nice to pick up working on a painting started on another day. The break lets you see it with fresh eyes and a new perspective. These both need more touches, but most of the surface is covered and the subject is pretty clear, so here they come.   "Flying Home, work in progress" Oil on board The cityscape below needs a lot of highlights and final details. Also, the colors in the photo are off. "Short North Evening, work in progress" Oil on panel. Thanks a lot to Leslie Saeta for leading the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. This is my 6th year doing i...

The busy month of September 2018, with its 30 paintings in 30 days challenge ended!!! Here is one more of my paintings completed in September. "Look Up and Cheer" Study 9"x12" Mixed media on canvas Available at the Columbus Cultural Arts Center Gift Shop I have a few more finished and half-finished paintings that I have not posted yet, hopefully I'll be able to take photos and post tomorrow. Even if I did not complete 30 paintings, as the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge seems to require,  I feel good nevertheless. I painted way more than I would have done without the challenge, I experimented new things, and I had lots of fun. Some days I had no time to paint at all, on other days I had to find the time with big efforts. Overall it has been a period of great discovery. I tried to do mostly studies with mixed media, using acrylic paint, paper, fibers, and home-made stencils, and this one is an example of the colorful palette that came out fro...

This is a better photo of my latest plein air painting, done at a local farm. The last post did not have the final painting, only work in progress shots. "I'll Be Bright With You" 9"x12" Oil on linen panel $250 I found this lovely view at the OSU farm, it’s very close to my house, yet I had never thought to paint there before, I wasn’t sure it was allowed, but they were super friendly and excited about the idea of an artist painting the farm.  I ended up going back a couple of times to finish the painting. The second day the sunflower heads were already drooping down, but I have the shapes already in place, so it was easy to keep going.