Today I'm thrilled to introduce you to Ben Kotyuk, first place winner of my contest on Fine Art America for most creative inspirational art work! His piece entitled I Want Some is a beautiful depiction of enlightenment!
Without further adieu, here is Ben's post!
As a child I always had a propensity for drawing and building things. At the age of twelve and with the help of an insightful teacher, I was enrolled in an art school. After two years of exploring various creative disciplines, I focused on package/product design.
Upon graduating, I went to work in a corporate art department. In those days, product design was not considered very important so it was begrudgingly handled as part of the advertising responsibilities. This meant I was also required to design ads and catalogs along with an array of promotional items.
For the next eleven years I moved between large corporations and small design studios where I handled product design projects. Slowly over time, the importance of package/product design became apparent and broke off as a speciality.
At that point, I left the corporation I was working for and opened my own design studio. For the next thirty-five years I did product, package and conceptual design for the cosmetic, fragrance and fashion industries world wide.
When I eventually retired, I needed a long overdue break from drawing and sketching which had been an intricate part of my work process. During the next six years I pursued other creative outlets and did not put pencil to paper.
As my life progressed, I began to feel a strong desire to draw and paint again but this time it would be just for me. I chose to work in pastel because it didn’t seem like a large leap from colored pencils which had previously been my presentation medium of choice (besides, I wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of cleaning brushes.)
In order to develop my pastel technique, I have mostly painted what is around me. All the objects, people and animals that are visually familiar.
I recently had a lot of fun doing graphic design and a few illustrations for a book I wrote last summer. I have never imagined myself as a writer yet for awhile, I was plagued by a recurring dream where a story unfolded.
One day my wife, Kelley said, “Why don’t you just write it down.” Well, I did and it became "Journal 97 The Case Notes Of E.R.Satz."
At the core of this strangely odd and most bizarre story, a theme on how people connect with each other emerges. It illustrates that through trust and dedication, an unexpected group of individuals come together for a common purpose to change their lives for the better. In the end, as fate would have it, everyone receives what is ultimately meant for them. The book presented big challenges and was a new outlet for my creativity.
On a final note, and in regards to my painting, “I Want Some” I would ask you, have you ever experienced a moment that took your breath away then seconds later tried to logically understand what just happened to you? Deep down you know it’s already too late because the more you try to find that feeling the further it slips away. That is how I felt when I saw the sun burst from behind a cloud one day, I literally gasp. I searched for that spot within myself, but the more I tried the further from my emotional reach it became. I wanted it to last, to retain some part of it in my being, but now it’s only a memory. “I Want Some” was an attempt to visually capture that moment in a way that could be shared.
You can find Ben's amazing work on Fine Art America where he has many wonderful pieces to share! Thank you for being a guest on my blog, Ben!