Benjamin Terry
Benjamin Terry, Coral Snake, 2011, graphite and enamel on wood
Artist Statement
My current work combines representational images and the chaos of ephemeral composition. I play with various thoughts and emotions that pass through my mind at any given moment. Working with memory, fantasy, dreams and time, I use multiple selves to create a narrative sequence that reflect on ideas of internal conflict, self doubt and emotional trauma. My painted figures escape the confines of naturalism and flirt with ideas of abstraction. Like a memory or dream, parts of the narrative become blurred or fragmented--and the original thought is always transformed. Their evolutions, whether through multiplicity, incompleteness or obliteration, imply that my subjects are odd fragments of a half- forgotten memory.
Selected Shows
2012 Fracture [w/ Giovanni Valderas] | Curated by Ryder Richards
Lago Vista Gallery, Dallas, TX
2011 Fresh Meat | Juried by Cris Worley and Eric Swenson
500x, Dallas, TX
Now | Juried by Vincent Falsetta and Ed Blackburn
Lightwell Gallery, Denton, TX
Art in the Metroplex | Juried by Toby Kamps
Moody Gallery, Ft Worth, TX
110 Degrees | Group Show | Cohn Drennan Contemporary
Dallas, TX
Recent Drawings | with Blayre Stiller | Union Gallery
Denton, TX
35th Annual Student Art Competition | Juried by David Iles
Union Gallery | Best in Show, Denton, TX
2010 College Expo | Juried by Andrea Karnes |
500X, Dallas, TX
2009 Senior Exit Show | Cora Stafford Gallery, Denton, TX
Recent Paintings | Solo Show | Union Gallerym Denton, TX
Senior Painting Show | Lightwell Gallerym Denton, TX
P.A.N.T.S. Open | Cora Stafford Gallery, Denton, TX
Publications
2011 New American Paintings Vol. 96 | West Issue
Bibliography
2011 Richards, Ryder. More Proves Better. http://frontrow.dmagazine.com/2011/10/art-review-more-proves-better-at-500xs-energetic-college-show-fresh-meat/
Camplin, Todd. 110 Degrees. | moderdallas.net/todd_camplin_weekly.html
Simek, Lucia. Two’s a Crowd: Summer Group Shows (ultra-filtered). | glasstire.com/2011/07/11/
Teaching
2011 Teaching Assistant: Drawing 2 | University of
North Texas
Administrative Assistant: Drawing 2 | University of
North Texas
Education
2013 MFA: Drawing and Painting | University of North Texas
Studied with: Matt Bourbon, Annette Lawrence, Robert Jessup, Vincent Falsetta
2010 BFA: Drawing and Painting | University of North Texas
My current work combines representational images and the chaos of ephemeral composition. I play with various thoughts and emotions that pass through my mind at any given moment. Working with memory, fantasy, dreams and time, I use multiple selves to create a narrative sequence that reflect on ideas of internal conflict, self doubt and emotional trauma. My painted figures escape the confines of naturalism and flirt with ideas of abstraction. Like a memory or dream, parts of the narrative become blurred or fragmented--and the original thought is always transformed. Their evolutions, whether through multiplicity, incompleteness or obliteration, imply that my subjects are odd fragments of a half- forgotten memory.
Selected Shows
2012 Fracture [w/ Giovanni Valderas] | Curated by Ryder Richards
Lago Vista Gallery, Dallas, TX
2011 Fresh Meat | Juried by Cris Worley and Eric Swenson
500x, Dallas, TX
Now | Juried by Vincent Falsetta and Ed Blackburn
Lightwell Gallery, Denton, TX
Art in the Metroplex | Juried by Toby Kamps
Moody Gallery, Ft Worth, TX
110 Degrees | Group Show | Cohn Drennan Contemporary
Dallas, TX
Recent Drawings | with Blayre Stiller | Union Gallery
Denton, TX
35th Annual Student Art Competition | Juried by David Iles
Union Gallery | Best in Show, Denton, TX
2010 College Expo | Juried by Andrea Karnes |
500X, Dallas, TX
2009 Senior Exit Show | Cora Stafford Gallery, Denton, TX
Recent Paintings | Solo Show | Union Gallerym Denton, TX
Senior Painting Show | Lightwell Gallerym Denton, TX
P.A.N.T.S. Open | Cora Stafford Gallery, Denton, TX
Publications
2011 New American Paintings Vol. 96 | West Issue
Bibliography
2011 Richards, Ryder. More Proves Better. http://frontrow.dmagazine.com/2011/10/art-review-more-proves-better-at-500xs-energetic-college-show-fresh-meat/
Camplin, Todd. 110 Degrees. | moderdallas.net/todd_camplin_weekly.html
Simek, Lucia. Two’s a Crowd: Summer Group Shows (ultra-filtered). | glasstire.com/2011/07/11/
Teaching
2011 Teaching Assistant: Drawing 2 | University of
North Texas
Administrative Assistant: Drawing 2 | University of
North Texas
Education
2013 MFA: Drawing and Painting | University of North Texas
Studied with: Matt Bourbon, Annette Lawrence, Robert Jessup, Vincent Falsetta
2010 BFA: Drawing and Painting | University of North Texas
