Benjamin Shine is an remarkably talented artist.
He has an impressive range of products in his repertoire, but we’ll take a moment to examine his portrait series. The pieces are generally 4ft wide by 5ft high, and Benjamin deploys some interesting methods to achieve the effect of line drawn portraiture.
These two shots of his Audrey Hepburn portrait give a great example of the technique – using powder eyelets screwed into the surface, which are then threaded with various colours and textiles. In this acrylic netting was used to create the iconic image of Audrey.
The planning that must go into these pieces is mindblowing. This portrait of Sir Edmund Hilary (nylon fabric on anodysed aluminium) was presented to the New Zealand High Commission to celebrate one of their nation’s favourite sons.
His portrait of President Obama took the American flag and turned it into an image that received great media attention. And then there is the portrait of Rembrandt, created from a single length of tuile fabric, pressed between plexiglass. This portrait is one of the most astonishing things I’ve ever seen.
Benjamin’s star is on the ascendant and quite rightly so. He is a great talent and I am excited to see what he comes up with next. You can find out more about him and the other amazing things he does on his website.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
!!!!!!
Wow.
What an ingenious technique! That Audrey portrait is so alive with energy – stunning!!! Until I scrolled down and saw the detail pics I thought it was a sketch. Amazing.
Phenomenal. Stunning.
The Rembrandt portrait is such a skilled interpretation of the man and his art. Love it.