"Punky Riku" Drawing

CHARLES BENTON ARTIST/ILLUSTRATOR I have been making art full time for at least the last four years now. My career was in the fashion business for many year as a fashion designer, but my true passion was always art and illustration. I studied art at the Academy of fine arts in Rome, and Later on, Fashion design at Central Saint Martins in London. During my London years I developed a deeper admiration for the incredible dark masterpieces beautifully depicted in Audrey Beardsley, incredibly sophisticated and unforgettable, magic, insightful and mysterious work. I have experimented with various mediums such has acrylics, oil paint and ink as well as color pencils, watercolors and most recently pottery. The Subject matter is consistent and it all came to life, so to speak, out of a strong urge to deliberately combine the years of experiences I have accumulated in the glamorous world of fashion and my illustration skills. I recently moved back to California from New York State.