Notes on Making Paintings

New Paintings

2011-09-27T08:45:00.001-07:00

"Wait"

27" x 45"

oil on canvas

"Pink Exit"

18" x 24"

oil on canvas

"Inner Space"

24" x 60"

oil on canvas

"Float"

32" x 36"

oil on canvas

"Spire"

45" x 27"

oil on canvas

"Beauty Counter No.5"

32" x 36"

oil on canvas

New Works

2011-03-07T10:54:00.000-08:00

Here are some new works from my February show at the Terzian Galleries.

See more details at my website www.lanebennion.com or www.terziangalleries.com

new group of paintings

2011-02-23T14:49:00.000-08:00

I will post new work from the show soon.....

"Layers Of Time Unfold Before Me"

2010-10-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas....41" x 49"

"Contemplate The Possibilities"

2010-10-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas

"When Past Meets Future"

2010-10-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

I decided to take a little detour from the storefront paintings to do some natural history themed stuff.

This one is called "When Past Meets Future"....oil on canvas 35" x 60"

My parents are featured in this one.

My first diptych

2010-07-28T22:45:00.000-07:00

"Divided I Stand" oil on panel, 24" x 48"

Ice Cave

2010-02-09T08:13:00.000-08:00

Oil on panel.....30"x24".

Grayness

2009-10-08T11:09:00.000-07:00

Oil on panel...7.5" x 7.5"

Glimpse

2009-10-06T07:42:00.000-07:00

Oil on panel. 24" x 20".

ICU

2009-09-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas....33" x 42".

Dreamscape

2009-09-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

Oil on panel...11.5" x 24"

Painted from my room at Mandalay Bay.

Glass Slippers

2009-08-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

Oil on Panel......24" x 20"

Diorama

2009-06-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas.....30"x36".

A painting of a photograph is a curious thing.

Honey Bees

2009-01-28T09:53:00.000-08:00

Oil on panel, 23"x19".

The Sentinel

2009-01-20T08:16:00.000-08:00

This one is 23" x 18". Oil on panel.

1+3=4

2009-01-16T08:31:00.000-08:00

16" x 23" oil on panel.

Taryn Rose

2008-12-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

Oil on panel...about 10"x12". I prefer to work larger than this when painting these "mall" scenes.

Pillars

2008-11-26T10:36:00.000-08:00

Here is a 7.5" x 7.5" study.

Meat Counter Study

2008-11-24T09:36:00.000-08:00

My buddy Zachary Proctor let me rummage through the photos he took on his trip to Europe last month. He took some great photos of some markets in Spain. That is the reference for this study. 10" x 12" oil on panel.

The Forum

2008-11-11T08:37:00.000-08:00

Oil on Canvas 67"x45".

Parasol Down

2008-11-03T12:19:00.000-08:00

Oil on canvas, 33"x48". The subject of this painting is a restaurant at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. The big white rectangle is a huge concrete slab waterfall at the other end of a pond. The pond or lake lies between the umbrellas and the white rectangle.

Check Your Head At The Door

2008-10-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

48"x33" oil on canvas.

Key Lime

2008-10-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas, 33.5" x 42".

Dior

2008-10-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

33"x48" oil on canvas.

Charley's Street

2008-09-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

Small oil on panel. I painted this on site in Helper Utah. The red truck in the far left of the painting belongs to the artist Charley Snow.

Bowling On 33rd South

2008-09-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

I painted this one a year or so ago and showed it in a small local gallery for a few months. It did not seem to get much response so I put it in my basement. I remember I really liked the painting at the time, but I kind of forgot about it when I stored it away in the basement. Someone recently saw it on my website and puchased it so I guess it wasn't so bad after all.

Oil on panel, 24"x20".

Nectarines

2008-09-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

Someone was eating a nectarine near me and immediately I thought back to an old segment from Sesame Street about nectarines.....I searched for it on YouTube and sure enough it was there. I post these things because they are so much a part of my childhood and subconscious mind. I think the music is really trippy and I always felt so bad for the creature that could not bend its arms.

Lonely Torso

2008-09-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas, 46"x60". A lot of shiny floor on this one.

Red, Green, Yellow and Black

2008-08-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

Oil on panel 20"x24". I borrowed a photo reference for this one from Zachary Proctor.

It was taken in a department store in New York.

Helper Arts Festival

2008-08-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

I went to the Helper Arts Festival in Helper Utah last week. Here is a plein air painting I did on MainStreet. Oil on panel 10"x12". I haven't done a plein air painting for about 4 years. I really respect people who do on sight painting regularly.

Monoprint

2008-07-12T15:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a monoprint I made about 4 years ago. I was attempting to capture my buddy Zachary Proctor at work on a still life. I wish I had my own press so I could make more monoprints.

Something Different

2008-06-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted this on my website because it doesn't fit in with what I usually paint. This is a wedding portrait commission that came to me last year (long story as to how). I was given a small faded photograph to work from. It was frustrating at first, because the photo was so faded. As things moved along and I invented some of the missing detail, I began to have more fun. Like I said, I don't do these types of paintings often so I did not know what to expect.

Devil's Garden

2008-06-07T07:46:00.001-07:00

Here is a little landscape (oil on panel, 10"x12") that I just finished. This is a place I visited a year ago near Escalante Utah, called The Devil's Garden.

Early Childhood Inspiration

2008-06-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for this animation from Sesame Street for awhile now. It finally showed up on Youtube. This strange short animation has been stuck in the deepest part of my brain for over 30 years.

Looking Down On Two Ways Up

2008-05-28T07:54:00.000-07:00

60"x40" oil on canvas.

Inspiring Location

2008-05-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

I just stumbled upon the wonderful work of photographer Troy Paiva. I was looking through his work and one photo struck me as familiar. I noticed that we had both been inspired by the same abandoned cafe/gas station in California. I took a picture of it for reference in 2004 on my way to Palm Desert California. I had forgotten where it was exactly but Troy describes it as being..."off the freeway in Yermo, California, a quiet high desert roadside town east of Barstow. " I used it as the backdrop for my painting "Excavation Site". The foreground in my painting comes from construction workers in Salt Lake City. Check out Troy's work (link above).

Three Roses

2008-05-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas, 40"x 55". Shiny surfaces are always fun to do.

Corner Counter

2008-05-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas 42"x50".

Pronto Pups

2008-05-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

40"x50" oil on canvas.

Side Show

2008-04-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Another new painting. Oil on panel 24" x 29".

Bad Apples

2008-04-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

Here is a new painting. 29"x24" oil on canvas.

Study Of A Wall In My Basment

2008-04-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

I painted this small one about six years ago. I have never shown it anywhere because it never seemed to fit with the other work I was showing at the time. The left part of the painting contains a sort of cable tv/internet box to route the signal to different rooms of my house. The blue tank and pipe on the other side is part of a sprinkler system that was installed in my house to put out fires. I was told that it was mandatory to have a sprinkler system installed because the community I live in was built too far away from the nearest fire station to respond effectively. More than you cared to know I'm sure.

Orange Cap (SLC)

2008-04-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

Oil on panel (about 8"x10"). I painted this winter of 2007.

Tropical Sno

2008-04-10T08:12:00.000-07:00

I painted this about a year ago. Oil on panel, about 18"x16"

Toward Price

2008-04-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

I'm going to hold off posting new work for a few weeks. I am participating in a group show at the Pioneer Theatre Company in Salt Lake City on April 25th through May 10th. I will start posting new work when that begins. In the meantime I am going to post some older landscapes and still life studies. This is a piece entitled "Toward Price" meaning Price, Utah. I painted this during a workshop in Helper, Utah taught by Doug Braithwaite.

Beauty Counter No.3

2008-03-31T10:18:00.000-07:00

Here is the finished product.

A Beauty Counter Painting (in progress)

2008-03-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

Here is the same painting in progress. Some of the general shapes are blocked in.

A Beauty Counter Painting (underpainting)

2008-03-25T08:37:00.000-07:00

I made a few small paintings for an upcoming fundraiser show called "300 Plates" at Art Access Gallery in Salt Lake City. This is the underpainting stage for a small beauty counter piece. I usually paint the underpainting with a mixture of alizirin crimson, phthalo blue and linseed oil. I learned to start paintings this way from a really good painter named Doug Braithwaite.

Excavation Site

2008-03-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

I made this painting last year but never got around to taking a photo of it. The backgound scene is from an abandoned restaurant in the California desert on I-15.

Back Alley

2008-03-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

I stopped to grab some food at my favorite drive through Mexican restaurant one night during a big snow storm. As I drove around the back I snapped a shot of the alley behind the shopping complex that served as the reference for this small painting.

Dark Carnival

2008-03-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a small painting I did a few years back. I took my wife and kids for a drive on a hot summer Saturday evening and we came upon a really cool little carnival celebration. I guess it was an annual thing that takes place every year on the main street of a small neighboring town. I'm glad I had my camera with me.

Ice Sculpture

2008-03-05T07:45:00.000-08:00

Oil on panel, about 20"x14". This is the last of the Hot Dog on a Stick paintings. I plan to revisit this subject later.

Lemonade

2008-02-28T10:03:00.000-08:00

Another painting based on Hot Dog On A Stick.

Hot Dog On A Stick

2008-02-26T10:10:00.000-08:00

Here is the first of 3 paintings based on the Hot Dog On A Stick fast food chain. This piece is about 20"x23" and was painted in 2007.

Beauty Counter No.2

2008-02-22T08:26:00.000-08:00

Oil on Panel. I went to the mall a few months ago to take some refference photos for some of these paintings and was told to stop taking photos by the mall security. She said the stores are afraid that people will steal the display ideas. Hmmmmm.

Beauty Counter

2008-02-19T09:43:00.000-08:00

This was my first beauty counter painting, "Beauty Counter No.1" oil on panel, 14"x20"(apporx). I will post some of my other beauty counter paintings later.

Two Heads Are Better Than None

2008-02-17T18:51:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been painting carnival scenes and mall scenes. This painting is about 19"x24"....oil on panel.

Waiting By An Exit

2008-02-15T08:25:00.000-08:00

Oil on panel about 14"x 20". This was some kind of pirate themed attraction viewed from the side. I was drawn to the mysterious exiting stairway.

A&W

2008-02-14T11:38:00.000-08:00

Here is carnival painting of an A&W Rootbeer stand. This is painted on panel and is about 14"x20". I was fascinated by the intense fluorescent light emanating from the A&W pod contrasted with the ambient light of the surroundings.

Carousel

2008-02-13T10:04:00.000-08:00

This painting is based on the carousel at Pier 39 in San Francisco. It was painted in 2007 and is about 42"x45".

Carnival Swings.....in another light

2008-02-12T10:33:00.000-08:00

Same subject matter just earlier in the day. It is amazing how light can make the same subject appear and feel so different.

Carnival Swings

2008-02-07T14:36:00.000-08:00

Here is a painting I made of a ride at a local amusment park called, "Turn of the Century(Night)".

This painting is about 21"x24" and was painted in 2007.

Blue Laundry

2008-02-06T14:55:00.000-08:00

Another painting that fuses toys and "real world".

Vendors

2008-02-04T20:32:00.000-08:00

I called this one, Early Sunday Morning Vendors. I have always loved painting cityscapes and thought it would be an interesting problem to fuse some toys into a city scene.

This was painted in 2007 and is about 24"x45".

Snow

2008-01-31T10:14:00.001-08:00

This isn't a painting, but a picture of the snow at my house. I just thought it looked interesting.

Airport

2008-01-31T10:08:00.000-08:00

This plane was one of my favorite toys as a kid.

Sunday Driver

2008-01-29T08:36:00.000-08:00

This one features the Fisher Price garage. There is an orange ball lamp in the background that my parents had around the house when I was very young.

August Carnival

2008-01-27T21:47:00.000-08:00

Around the end of 2005 or beginning of 2006 I bought a bunch of vintage Fisher Price toys on eBay. I have many memories of playing with these toys in my early childhood. My mom had long since thrown my old toys away, so it had been years since I had seen them. It was amazing to receive these toys in the mail an examine them closely. Each little detail or feature of the toys that I examined brought back a flood of distant impressions and memories....it was really cool! The next few paintings I will post are from this "Fisher Price" series. They were a lot of fun to make. This painting is entitled "August Carnival". It is approximatley 48"x50".

Hooray for Toast!

2008-01-26T21:58:00.001-08:00

I think toast is way underrated. This one is from 2005

Come and See

2008-01-25T20:15:00.000-08:00

I found a really cool "Dick and Jane" compilation book at a Wal Mart grocery store, of all places. I made 3 or 4 paintings that centered around the artwork in these books. "Come and See" is 47"x48" and was painted in 2004.

I Saw Inside the Tower

2008-01-24T13:50:00.000-08:00

This one was painted in 2004. In these toy paintings, I often used things like plastic sharks, mouse traps, "barrel of monkeys" monkeys and Chinese food containers. Some of the objects have special meaning to me, I like other things for their visual qualities. Sometimes the interaction and inclusion of certain objects is purposeful and sometimes an interesting connection is unintentional.

Castaway

2008-01-23T14:30:00.000-08:00

"Castaway" (46"x47") was painted in 2004. I used to keep all of my toys separated into bins according to color. The mouse on the top of the Chinese food carton is from the game Mouse Trap.

Red Shark

2008-01-22T14:48:00.000-08:00

Same size painting. The scale of the toys grows larger. I started to use glazes on this one. The edges were "softened" by scraping the surface with a scrap of wood or hitting it with an old shirt. I like the feel of it. I observed a great professor of mine, David Dornan, doing things like this to create interesting surfaces.

This one is from 2003.

Mecca

2008-01-21T10:50:00.000-08:00

The cereal bowl is an important icon of my childhood. I ate a lot of cereal. This painting "Mecca" was made in 2002. 48"x42" oil on canvas.

Prenatal

2008-01-20T20:50:00.000-08:00

I titled this painting "Prenatal" because the characters in the lower right of the painting seemed to be on the verge of entering a new world. Some paintings seem to almost name themselves, but others, like this one, are more difficult to title. I think titles are tricky. The title can often prevent the viewer from finding their own interpretation of the work. This piece was painted in 2001.

Patterns

2008-01-19T22:54:00.000-08:00

Here is a painting I made in 2000. I began to explore different color arrangements and patterns with toys. This piece is called "Bullseye". I think it was about 38"x42".

Intro

2008-01-18T09:56:00.000-08:00

To begin my blog, I thought I would post a painting I completed in 1999. It is the first painting I made that I considered a sort of "post student work"piece. I plan to start posting paintings that I am currently workin on, but for now I am going to post a few things from the past. This painting is called "Lost at See". Oil on canvas.....about 35"x40".