Ben Saunders

I am a passionate creative with many year's experience in the design, creative, advertising and graphic arts industries. More recently I have focused on painting as an outlet for my creativity, and I now devote much of my time to exploring subjects that inspire me from my environment as well as my imagination. Based in South Australia I work from my home studio and much of my work is impressionistic and gestural, aiming to capture a sense of time, place and emotion.

My process is often an intuitive one. Many pieces begin by laying down colour and exploring mark-making before I have a definitive vision for the work. I let the piece unfold and I’m guided by the interaction of the media on the surface. Shapes, ideas and concepts begin to emerge and I then work to ‘tease out’ the subject.

Other times I have a clear vision for a piece and I then set about creating what I see on the canvas. Both processes offer different challenges and I thoroughly enjoy working both ways.

Whilst I tend to lean towards landscapes and botanical themes, I am also interested in representing the human body, with several recent works exploring themes of masculinity and sensuality.

In addition to painting, I also love to purse my interests in mu...

Throughout my graphic arts training I have had exposure to a wide variety of fine art techniques, media and processes from an incredible array of talented practitioners, although I would describe myself as largely self-taught in regards to how I paint now. I work predominantly in acrylic and occasionally oils. I also love to combine graphite, charcoal and other media in my finished works.