September 16, 1999

        New Mexico Magazine is happy to announce it’s selection of Robert Benjamin as it’s Distinguished Artist for our 2001 calendar. Robert’s pastels of the New Mexico landscape combine a realistic approach with technical mastery to produce glowing images of a variety of scenes – some majestic and others humble, but all showing facets of the state that we love. They are realistic and accurate enough to please those who normally prefer photography to painting, and still are accomplished and abstract enough to trill sophisticated art lovers.

        When Robert first brought me his work last year around this time, he had a number of things in a variety of media. I recall that two of them were the horizontal pastels of familiar scenery. I liked them so much that I told him if he could do ten more in that format and of that quality, of scenes from around the state that reflect the four seasons then I would use them for our calendar. He took up the challenge and has been working diligently ever since to get me the images that I need. I believe our customers will be very happy with our choice of Robert as the New Mexico Magazine Distinguished Artist for 2001.