I have been exploring the world of Art now for the past 6 or 7 years, and I realize that every new day brings me something new to learn! The exploration as a whole is now in a reductive state where I'm trying to get back to foundational study. At first, I pushed my mind and my work as far as it could go. I went to the edges of the wildest or strangest things I could imagine and tried to paint, draw, or sculpt them free of any conventions.

But then I realized that there is no escaping the fundamentals. There are no short cuts. I have tried to instill this concept in the minds and hearts of my students in the classroom. You have to have basic knowledge and concepts as tools before you can construct or deconstruct. I believe there are a lot of artists out there who are destroying art because of their work's production value or because of the lack of originality. I try to remain on the line between creation and destruction, control and chaos, and all the other dichotimous qualities of life and art. It is a fine balance that must be achieved.

How do I select a subject? At first, not even I understand what I'm going to do with the blank canvas. But there is direction or flow if you will. I believe this all goes back to the soul. A lot of my work spans from dreams and/or the experience of them. In psychology, dreams help us to cope with our fears so I try to paint what I personally fear or want to change in some way. It's exactly like looking at a problem and trying to come up with a solution. The original concept is often morbid or grotesque. Of course, since we're talking about fears, these fears can range from a spider to a full moon. It always turns out completely different from what I had in mind but becomes easier to digest in the end. When I'm finished with a painting, I know I've resolved that fear. I put love into it. You can physically see that within every single piece. This is the duality of life. Love and fear. Light and dark. Good and bad. I battle the concept translated from the mind to the canvas.

The concept within my work contrasts all of humanities triumphs and weaknesses as a paradoxical human condition. This is the subconscious allegory I talked about. There is always a story that remains mute in the beginning, but begins to unfold itself, not through me, but through the viewer. In this regard, the story never ends but always seems to be asking a question. Just like my pal Leonardo.

I use all mediums at my disposal and encourage my students to do the same. It widens the possibility of creative choices. We can play with different combinations. Textiles and paint, found objects and clay, and so forth. Technology also affords me and my students the opportunity to manipulate design and images and content to create an original piece that evokes something powerful and speaks to all who see it.

For this period in my life, I'm working with the foundations, the roots of my own fears so I may conquer them. It is a grand adventure to connect with a universal emotion or belief or experience and enrich both myself, my students, and my audience. I still wouldn't consider myself an "artist", but I hope the world will validate my work.

Benjamin Pesqueda