Ben Payne

Ben was born in Surrey in 1975. He began drawing portraits and painting whilst studying for his art A level at Kings College in Wimbledon. What started as a hobby for Ben, when he began selling his work at 16, has now developed into a wonderful talent that is constantly maturing and changing into atmospheric and innovative works of art. This is a young man who has had no further art training and is mostly self-taught. Yet he constantly challenges himself and his boundaries in a bid to develop his style and keep his subjects fresh and inspiring and most importantly to the highest quality.

Ben’s degree from Southampton University is actually a world apart from his wonderful talent as an artist. However, whilst studying his paintings, similarities can be distinguished from these two different fields that Ben works in. Ben studied a Psychology degree, and after achieving this he became an independent therapist and pursued a career in the field of Autism. He works with young children to overcome their difficulties in communicating to the outside world. Whilst pursuing this career he continued painting in his spare time, teaching himself and extending his range into oils.

How does Ben’s work with autistic children affect his paintings? Ben paints mostly landscapes, large skyscapes and he has recently extended his subject matter to include the infamous skylines of London. He draws his inspiration from the Surrey countryside and British coastline where he spent his childhood, and from the artists he admires. It is obvious to see the influence of Turner and Whistler on his work in the way he captures the effect of clouds in the sky with particular delicacy yet with such vivid and dramatic colours giving his paintings an ethereal quality.

It is the use of colour that Ben finds fascinating and is of main importance within his work. Whatever area of life people are from, and at whatever age, his use and understanding of colour is universal. In Ben’s paintings we can see how his work with children brings simplicity to his pieces that is innocent but powerful. His subjects are dream-like yet real, enchanting yet uncomplicated. In nurturing this unique talent Ben will continue to develop such works of art for years to come.