We had the good fortune of connecting with Nils Benson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nils, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I was 5 and remember wanting to learn to play the cello, as my mother couldn’t find one small enough for a five year old I learned to play the violin instead. I wanted to become a composer after reading a children’s book about Amadeus Mozart, and wrote a couple of 4 measure tunes. I have been expressing myself creatively ever since though various mediums and crafts. My passion for oil painting came into being my second year at Pacific NorthWest College of Art in Portland Oregon. I spent a number of years working as a cameraman on various films before deciding to retire from that industry and dedicate myself to painting again, which I now do 4-5 hours a day.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Nils Benson (b. 1966) has old ideas regarding the art and craft of painting, believing the role of good draughtsmanship is of primal importance. He continues this long tradition in a personal style, studying the aspects of his life from the personal to the universal.

Recent oil paintings, on view in a solo show at The LODGE in Los Angeles California, use pigments mixed with oils and various traditional transparent ingredients to create paintings on canvas or linen crafted with a classical approach, defined by a signature cinematic vision. The exhibition includes two larger pieces ( 60 x 48 inches ) and a number of smaller canvas ( 16 x 14 inches ) and a few painted metal cut outs. This body of work uses images of animals, tigers, birds, snakes and other totemic animals in landscapes, fantastical or otherwise. The title WONDERLAND may allude to the novel of the literary nonsense genre by Lewis Carroll, as is evident in the surrealistic tendencies and presence of anthropomorphic creatures.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Trails Cafe in Griffith Park. Great place for a bite to eat and walk in the surrounding hills.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Alice Lodge

Website: Www.nilsbenson.com

Instagram: @Nilscbenson

Image Credits
All images by Nils Benson

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