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February Issue
2009
Elder Gallery
in Charlotte, NC, Features Works by David Benson
Elder Gallery in Charlotte,
NC, will present the exhibit, A Southern Way of Life, featuring
a solo exhibit of works by David Benson, on view from Feb. 6 through
Mar. 28, 2009.
The genesis of Benson's art career was in the first grade. His
poor performance in reading, writing and arithmetic were overcompensated
by his drawings of flying "M" landscapes and drawings
of horses. They seemed to impress the teachers in his small South
Carolina school as well as his classmates.
Using flying "M" symbols to represent birds in the skies of his landscapes gave way to imaginary figurative compositions. The subject matter of his work rarely strayed from things that intrigued him. Some may seem odd and unusual to the viewer but to the artist these icons have become the common thread of a lifetime body of work.
Elder Gallery's exhibition will feature several series of paintings that have developed over the past thirty years. Subjects such as Sin Eaters, Last Rites, Death of the Virgin, Exorcisms, Quilting B's, Salvation Shows, and the She Wolf Scenes have reoccurred. Each illicit interest and emotion and are full of drama. Themes generally include the human figure interacting within human culture, presented in narrative fashion.
Of his work, Benson states "In my college years and young adult life I was considered a renaissance man of recycle. This desire to make something greater from a rejected material has stuck with me throughout the years and continues to play a significant role in my creative process."
Benson's interest in Robert Rauschenberg, Jim Dine, Max Ernst, Andy Warhol, and a few Impressionist painters are at times clearly evident in his recycle compositions. He uses little color, opting for a more achromatic result. Benson believes that the more bizarre the media, the more opportunity exists for discovery and expression.
The paintings in A Southern Way of Life are a throw-back to times past. Some of the events depicted in Benson's multi-media paintings have vanished from daily life while others linger in the mountains and other rural areas across the South.
For further information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 704/370-6337 or visit (www.elderart.com).
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