Meet Ben Collison | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ben Collison and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ben, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
If you ask this question too many times then you might be done. I feel like I’m fighting the good fight. I may get tired but I always trust in myself. The world will not always be on the same page as you. As long as you feel the fight in you, then keep going.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
With the extra indoor time as of late I wanted to focus on watercolor and oil portraits. Focusing on portraits helped me get lost in the process. It was like going into a trance and waking up to a beautiful piece of art. Leaving the outside world for a moment helped me focus on the process and refine my technique.

Adding watercolor and oil to my acrylic painting, digital, and coffee art mediums just makes my sandbox that much bigger to play in. Weaving it all together with dirty-pretty techniques is a natural fluid process. Texture is always important to me. The relatable textures you can achieve with a palette knife, to digital noise that blows out color, to drip drops of coffee and ink smudging together works in a special way. I like to think that there is a sense of dirty-pretty visual poetry throughout my work.

I am also excited about releasing a new clothing line based off of a series of pen and ink drawings. I will be selling them in various boutiques throughout San Francisco this spring. Currently I have various one off designs in my redbubble.com/people/BenCollison/shop
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Right away we would have to get burritos from El Farolito and head to Dolores Park.  Drink a few drinks and watch the sunset go down in the city.  I love going to my favorite galleries.  So I would take them to Luna Rienne, Mirus, and 111 Minna galleries. The Legion of Honor and MOMA are great museums.  My two favorite cafes, The Blue Danube and Cafe International are a must.  I highly recommend Cafe International’s Sunday Jazz night. Golden Gate Park is definitely a place we would have to walk around and eat Poke in the park.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mom deserves all the thanks in the world. Her love and support have helped me be the artist I am today. I also must thank my love. She has been a wonderful supportive partner. My family and friends, it takes a village to support the arts.

Website: bencollison.com

Instagram: instagram.com/bencollison

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ben-collison-3393011a

Twitter: BenCollisonart

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bencollisonart

Other: Redbubble: redbubble.com/people/BenCollison/shop