ROCHESTER – Rochester native Ben Daniels’ latest artwork leaps off the canvas.
Although Daniels took some art classes in school, he was largely on his own in his explorations as a painter.
His work has been shown in a handful of art exhibitions and has gained depth in the truest sense of the word.
Daniels has incorporated reclaimed, recycled and found objects into his work, creating hanging sculptures. The transition began when he began exploring impasto, a painting technique in which paint is applied thickly to a surface to create texture.
“Impasto and texture have always interested me in art,” he said.
Participating in shows motivated Daniels to continue working and make it more extensive and complex.
Although Daniels suffered from chronic joint pain, he began to create larger, heavier and more complex pieces than before.
“I don’t want my illness to be the defining aspect of my work, but it is a part of it,” he said.
John Molseed / Post Bulletin
Daniels began his artistic career by drawing and then working as a tattoo artist. Due to his chronic joint disease, it is painful and difficult for him to hold a fine pen for long periods of time.
Dealing with the pain has helped him develop a working technique that helps him create more complex pieces. Daniels works in 20- to 40-minute bursts, allowing the layers of his work to dry or set before adding more.
The result is a work that feels more rounded, he said.
Daniels’ first solo exhibition, “Reclaimed: Art and Life,” is on view at Threshold Arts Gallery, 311 South Broadway Ave., through September 1, 2024. When Daniels is surrounded by people looking at his work, he is usually nervous and unsure. The opening of his solo exhibition was different.
“I have never felt so relaxed when people look at my art,” he said.
This was partly due to the support of his friends who came to the opening. Another factor was the quality of the pieces he provided for the exhibition.
Some of his works are part of an ongoing series he is working on. One of them, “Reclaimed,” incorporates found materials, particularly broken, discarded objects or parts of larger objects that have been dismantled or destroyed.
“It’s a cycle of destruction, reclamation and redesign,” Daniels said. “It’s fun to see the beauty in the remains.”
John Molseed / Post Bulletin
Other works are named after pieces of classical music that he listens to while working on them.
Some of the works were a surprise to him, he said. Others corresponded to his ideas, but he was not sure whether he could implement them, he said.
All of the works exhibit texture and layering. He said the works would look good in the bright gallery, where daylight changes the colors of the gallery throughout the day. Shadows change depth and shape as the light changes.
“You can see it changing throughout the day as different shades emerge,” he said.
