My work focuses on unguarded characters who encounter a world suddenly understood as more mysterious and vast. While the immediacy of my oil paintings first draws the viewer in with their lush surfaces and traditional style, undercurrents of a more contemporary and unsettled content gradually surface. Many of the characters in my work depict childlike, irrefutable instincts. Others reveal an acute awareness of uneasy surroundings. In these environments vulnerability is strength, allowing the character to quietly confront what is invisible yet palpable.
I am first and foremost an oil painter. Wearable, mixed media sculpture and performance art is another obsession. The two mediums work in harmony. My painting process is slow and meditative. As layers accumulate landscapes appear. Creatures take form much the way they do at the brink of sleep. As I paint the elements weave together to tell a story. Some of these characters become inspiration for live performance. I meticulously fabricate the trappings of each character and both physically and emotionally immerse myself. As these characters react and adapt to a live, responsive audience they evolve. I relinquish control and witness. The unpredictability of this process sparks fresh visions and in turn inspires my 2 dimensional world.
Benicio is an artist who currently lives and works in San Rafael. Her work has been exhibited throughout the West Coast as well as in Norway and Brazil.
I am first and foremost an oil painter. Wearable, mixed media sculpture and performance art is another obsession. The two mediums work in harmony. My painting process is slow and meditative. As layers accumulate landscapes appear. Creatures take form much the way they do at the brink of sleep. As I paint the elements weave together to tell a story. Some of these characters become inspiration for live performance. I meticulously fabricate the trappings of each character and both physically and emotionally immerse myself. As these characters react and adapt to a live, responsive audience they evolve. I relinquish control and witness. The unpredictability of this process sparks fresh visions and in turn inspires my 2 dimensional world.
Benicio is an artist who currently lives and works in San Rafael. Her work has been exhibited throughout the West Coast as well as in Norway and Brazil.