New Mexico's & southwest art realistic landscape painter.

Artist Robert Benjamin's bio 

Robert L. Benjamin, New Mexico resident since 1971. Bob spent his formative years in northeastern Ohio , receiving encouragement and strong interest in the visual arts at an early age from his mother, executing his first oil painting at the age of ten.

Bob won several state and national awards for commercial design while still in high school, including a journalism award for editorial cartooning from Kent State University . Upon graduation from Alliance High School he was accepted by the Ivy School of Professional Art, Pittsburgh . After several years of study, during while Bob availed himself of the many cultural amenities of Pittsburgh , he began to visualize a more expansive natural setting as inspiration for his fine art. At this juncture he began to take a serious look at the southwest.

Arriving in New Mexico in fall of 1971, Bob worked as a graphic designer and illustrator, continuing to develop his stylistic approach. He worked briefly in a frame shop, receiving framing services in lieu of pay. In 1976, Bob began working under the direction of Master Printer, Ben Adams, at Western Graphics Lithography Studio. He assisted many notable artists in preparing their drawings for printing. At this same time, he printed a number of his own lithographs, selling entire editions of contemporary southwestern hand-pulled original prints to a national distributor, American Designs, Ltd. Bob's fine art prints sold widely throughout the United States to institutions and private collectors alike.

Many of Bob Benjamin's lithographs are in the permanent collections of museums. A national traveling exhibit, "Lithography in New Mexico ", curated by the Museum of New Mexico featured one of his prints. The New Mexico Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe; the Roswell, New Mexico, Museum and Art Center; and the Navajo Tribal Museum, Window Rock, Arizona; have Bob's lithographs in their permanent collections. He is represented in the collections of the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport ; the University of New Mexico Medical Center Cancer Research and Treatment Facility, Albuquerque ; the Smithsonian Institution National Collection of Fine Arts, Washington D.C. ; The Museum of Natural History, Albuquerque ; and other public and private collections.

Although benefiting while employed by Western Graphics from contact with such artist luminaries as Charles Lovato, Jerry Ingram, R.C. Gorman, Travis Whitfield, Russell Hamilton, Earl Biss and others, Bob became restless to broaden his creative horizons. He began studying another form of multiple originals: bronze sculpture. Again he sought guidance from the experts, studying casting techniques with art/caster A.J. Keith and art foundry director Tommy Hicks, of Shidoni Foundry, Santa Fe . In January 1980, Bob and a partner opened Southwest Bronze, a sculpture foundry and artist contract studio, in downtown Albuquerque .

Many artists published sculpture editions under Bob's guidance. He also taught bronze sculpture casting and mold-making techniques. He was known for generously sharing information and for his knowledge as an art publisher.

Ever restless to gain new experience and knowledge, Bob began studying steel sculpture fabrication at the University of New Mexico with sculptor, David Anderson. After making the determination that Southwest Bronze had fulfilled its mission, in 1986, he found himself involved in many design projects. He designed children's wear for an international market, was an art director for several Albuquerque advertising agencies, and in 1992, attended computer classes at the University of New Mexico to further hone his illustration and design skills. At this time, he also designed silver jewelry still in production and garnered several commercial art awards. In 1995, Bob turned to landscape painting full-time, working with impressionist landscaper painter, Les Hawks. He traveled the entire state of New Mexico for artistic inspiration from the beauty of its land forms and the excitement of its dramatic lighting. In 1998, New Mexico Magazine invited Bob to be the published 2001 Distinguished Calendar Artist for their millennium issue. His expression and artistic vision of the innate beauty of the New Mexico landscape continues to be celebrated.

Today, Robert Benjamin lives in Albuquerque and continues to paint southwestern landscapes and design various art forms.

            Charles Bennett, Palace of the Governors

            Assistant Director, Santa Fe , New Mexico  

Photo of Robert lower corner  by Robert Grebe 7-18-75, Picture of Robert opposite side by David Murphy, Marble Street Studio, Albuquerque, NM, 1-8-2000.