Memory of Ardara

“These works began when I spent a week in hospital some years ago. They developed without any conscious thought and became a means of keeping myself sane. Since then I have gone back and forth to them and become almost obsessed with them for short periods of time.

Sometimes, nowadays, I have a theme in mind before I start. Sometimes they just evolve and I can see afterwards the influences that directed my pen. A lot of the time I begin with random shapes and I just try to balance and design them until I’m happy with the outcome. I enjoy not being too serious and allowing the shapes to evolve into birds, trees, people or just pure abstraction. I find the work exciting because I don’t put any constraints on myself when I’m working on them and I find them therapeutic although I feel almost driven as soon as I begin.”  

Stephen Bennett