Gary Benfield - The Artist
Most of Gary Benfield's artwork features female figures. "I just think the figure in general, but the female figure especially, is a wonderful form," he said. "It's a really exciting thing to draw." Benfield feels the same affinity for drawing horses. "When you're drawing the leg of a horse, you can see similarities in some of the lovely curves and lines." He also does some still lifes and has recently started drawing buildings.
The sensual nature of Gary Benfield's work comes, in part, from his spontaneous, gestural process. He starts by loosely brushing a very thin layer of oil on Belgian linen, a fine-tooth, pre-primed canvas. After putting down a rough shape, he blots areas with tissue or scratches into the texture. As shapes develop, he starts drawing into it, never quite knowing how it'll turn out. "The pencil actually almost disappears, and other bits go very dark and heavy," he said. "It's quite nice. It's a little bit like watercolor in a way. You never quite know what's going to happen. Sometimes the nicest things come out of the mistakes."
Gary Benfield uses models only occasionally. Since he works on the floor, looking at a person for reference proves difficult. Mainly, he takes lots of photographs and makes very small sketches as guides. "They look totally different from when I started," he said. "Very often it just comes from whatever shapes happen on the canvas."
