Today we’d like to introduce you to Benjamin Long.

Hi Benjamin, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.

After getting my degree in studio art, I continued making work, and exhibiting it wherever I could. In 1991 I got gallery representation in Philadelphia, and moved there around the end of that year. Since then, it’s been mostly the same story; making work and showing it in various venues.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

I’m not one of those charmed few that you read about, whose career seemed to just fall into place early on, either from making smart or brave choices, or having serendipitous encounters with the right people (or both). So yeah, it’s been somewhat bumpy.

The several galleries I was associated with over the years have, for various reasons, all disappeared. That has complicated things. Creating work that has a somewhat limited audience is a problem I made for myself. Losing my wife Lara to cancer put the brakes on life for quite a while, and any momentum up to that point just stopped. Recent issues with my dominant hand hasn’t done any favors.

Everyone’s path is different, and most people hit plenty of obstacles; most have their ups and downs.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

What I do for the most part is painting and drawing. Because I have a restless mind and eyes, I’ve done some sculpture and photography too.

What the work looks like, and how I work has changed over the years. But what I hope I’m known for is being myself; producing something not seen before and which doesn’t look like other artists’ stuff.

Certainly I’ve been influenced by other artists but I’ve had people tell me that they don’t see it as being obvious. It can be dismaying to see so many other artists jumping on whatever bandwagon, deliberately aping another’s style, and basing their whole body of work on that. I try not to do that at any rate.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?

It would be nice if my paintings were so in demand that I actually needed and could afford assistants. But I do every step of the process myself, including all the boring and laborious bits. I might be a control freak.

I’ve rarely done collaborations. Most artists are not really team players by temperament.

As for support, coming out to see exhibitions is lovely and appreciated; the work is made to be seen. Purchasing art is even better. Unless you’re buying blue-chip artists as an investment, to like and admire something so much that you want to live with it (and pay for it), is the greatest compliment for an artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://benjaminlong.com
• Other: Snowman On The Moon @benjaminlong-art.bsky.social