My name is Ben Jarvis and I am a painter. I enjoy many mediums but painting is the passion that has the strongest hold on me. My Grandfather was the man who first taught me how to paint. Captivated, I watched him as he applied acrylic in thick passages across his abstract, expressionist pieces. He distilled in me an itch to explore the qualities of paint and create my own work. I remember my crude still lives and my incessant urge to represent my eyes’ vision.

            I eventually made my way to the Laguna College of Art and Design where I fell in love with painting all over again. I was surrounded by those who shared my passion and found myself guided by instructors who held a wealth of wisdom and talent. I have grown so much in my time at LCAD. Before, I had the aptitude, but now my skill and expression are skyrocketing. I have one more year to go before I graduate and I plan to finish strong.

            After graduation, I plan to pursue a rich and fulfilling future in the world of representational drawing and painting. It fills me with unmatched satisfaction when I can capture the likeness of my subject with the calculated stroke of a pencil or brush. The simple pleasure of distilling the essence of what I see, be it a face, figure, still-life, or landscape, is something I hope will never leave me. I aspire to make a living depicting my subject matter with an eye for optic reality, with a hint of expression and spontaneous brushwork. It is my goal to see my paintings hung on gallery walls amidst the work of artists I respect and admire.