Robie Benve Art

Happy me in front of the ArtPop Street Gallery billboard featuring my painting "It'll Be Grand". Oh my, there are times when you hope for things, you want them very hard, and everything goes wrong. But there are other times when you think "that sounds interesting, I'll give it a try" and you get the the best results.  The first time I applied for the ArtPop Street Gallery Columbus, in 2019, I thought I had a strong piece, but did not get selected. It was a little disappointing. So, this year I applied again. Even if I had very low expectations, I tried to do it right. I chose a piece I really liked, I cropped it just right, and I made sure I followed all the technical requirements of the online submission.  Then I moved on and kind of forgot about it for several weeks. The Advantages of Submitting for a Juried Art Competition I think submitting for any juried competition is a win-win, especially when, like in this case, there is no submission fee. It takes a...

"Heading South" 18"x24" oil on canvas, framed Available 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 adds a nice touch, and it also inspired the title. I love the warmth and the sense of serenity that comes out of this scene. : )     Blessings, Robie

"Evening Beach" 5"x7" Oil on panel SOLD One more version of the beach we stayed last summer, in the small town of Briatico, in Calabria, Italy. I really liked the feeling of calm of that small beach, it was cozy and picturesque. This small painting could really be a study for a bigger painting. We'll see. :)

"After the Rain" 8"x10" Oil and acrylic on canvas Available Sometimes if I am driving home and I see a nice sunset I make a stop at the park to have a clear vision of the sky, across the large green area. If I am lucky enough I get decent photos from the view. This was one of those times. I started the painting in acrylics, and actually meant to finish with acrylics, but then decided that it needed some of the buttery consistence of oil paint, and covered most of it with a layer of oil paint, though some of the acrylic colors are still visible. At this point it's impossible even for me to know which is which. “The purpose of learning is growth,  and our minds, unlike our bodies,  can continue growing as long as we live.” ~ Mortimer Adler

"Magenta" 6x6 Oil on board I am painting every day, I promise!  I just fell behind with the posting. :) This is the painting from a couple of day ago. I did it quickly and with light heart, and I like the result, very "a la prima"  :)) I had fun toning the board magenta and letting the color come through. This small painting will be part of my solo show at the Columbus Cultural Arts Center this October. Coming up soon!!!  Sky High!

"Thinking of You" 8"x10" Oil on Board Available This painting puts me in a romantic mood. It makes me feel like I want to be there, but not alone. So I know that if my loved one was not with me, with a sight like this I would be thinking of him, hence the title "Thinking of You". I filmed the painting process for this with my phone and created a time lapse video. I am trying to get better with time lapsing myself painting, but this video turned out all right for a time lapse rookie. You can see it on my facebook page (and if you get there, make sure you like my page, then you'd really make me happy!) One question still persists in my mind: is this a sunset or a sunrise?  I really can't decide. Thanks for visiting!