Benjamin Edmiston is an artist living and working in Brooklyn, NY. He received his BFA from Tyler School of Art in 2003 and his MFA from Brooklyn College in 2012. Over the summer, Edmiston was an artist in residence at OCAD University in Toronto, Canada. His work was also exhibited at Pennsylvania College of Art and Design this year. Edmiston has recently been published in ‘The Art of Collage’ Contemporary Collage in Modern Art.
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Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do. My name is Benjamin Edmiston and I’m a painter/collage artist. I live and work in Brooklyn, NY.
How has living in New York affected your art practice? Living in NYC affords you a large artistic community. Being an artist can be a lonely experience, so having friends who are artists and understand what that means is invaluable. Sharing information and ideas is how we help each other advance.
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What kinds of things are influencing your work right now? Music is always an influence for me. Steve Gunn’s new record ‘Way Out Weather’ has been on heavy rotation.
What are some recent, upcoming or current projects you are working on? I had a solo show, Bad Lights, in December at Vox Populi in Philadelphia. It was my first show in years of just paintings and I’m excited about the initial responses I’ve been getting.
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If you were a drink what drink would you be? Whiskey
What artists are you interested in right now? Shirley Jaffe’s paintings have been a huge influence lately. Jesse Littlefield’s show at Zieher Smith & Horton was great. Also, Nick Aguayo at Susanne Vielmetter in LA looked pretty amazing.
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Tell us about your work process and how it develops. My process starts with collage. Paper of different color and texture get cut up and placed directly on a flat canvas. When I find what I want, I’ll trace the pieces and recreate the ‘paper sketch’ with paint. This allows me to have the immediacy of collage while utilizing the physical attributes of paint. For me, it satisfies my love of collage and painting.
What do you want a viewer to walk away with after seeing your work? When I see inspiring work, it makes me see my everyday life differently. If I could give that to someone else, that would be ideal.
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Describe your current studio or workspace. Messy, very messy.
What are you reading right now? The Future of the Mind by Michio Kaku.
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