Self Portrait (2020) Print

Ben could not escape art. His life conspired to draw it forth from that instrument most fundamental to his being – his eyes. His empathy and his movement were the rudiments of interpreting and expressing the world around and within him. His family represented a wide range of artistic connections: musicians, storytellers, dancers, luthiers and his home was a wellspring of visual artists of all types. From 7 to 17 Ben lived in a studio in the heart of Houston, TX called Baquero Gallery. During his early teen years he spent hours working in the studio’s workshop making frames and canvases for artists around the world. This lead to his inevitable interest in attending Houston’s own HSPVA (Highschool for the Performing and Visual Arts). Despite the many benefits of being surrounded by the arts and artists, like many things, it came with its tolls. Ben’s step father David Baquero was the owner of Baquero Gallery. As demand for openings, frames, canvases, paintings and debt piled up, David’s expectations of his step son grew immensely. This, over time, became abusive. Eventually leading Ben to fail out of art school, form unhealthy dependancies and eventually drop out of high school altogether while swearing off art as the reason for his misfortune. Many years of substance abuse and failed relationships eventually lead Ben to recovery. He realized that there was a voice inside of him that needed to be freed. When he rediscovered art, he approached it in the same scientific manner – by discovering the inner workings. That’s when he fell in love again. Thus, the intricacies of visual arts opened up to him in a fresh way.