Ben Mann

"As a daydreaming youngster with dubious math skills. I continuously filled the outer margins of my school papers with fanciful characters, vividly warped around those 3 lifeless holes in the notebook paper. Since it was abundantly clear where my curiosity and instincts lay, I decided at some point to make drawing part of my everyday life. Later, it occurred to me to make it my livelihood as well. I am still lousy at math, but the rewards of going with my truest instincts and making art that evokes joy has been a labor of love.

By waltzing that fine line between fine and commercial art, my imagery has landed in a wide array of places, surprising me as much as anyone else. Put me on a ladder, apparently I am a muralist. Put me on front of a room full of Third Graders, apparently I am a teacher. Give me the walls of the restaurant and call me a Gallery Guy. During my time outside the paint studio, I travel through life sketching and retaining the uniqueness of the ordinary. Whether I am overseas or just killing time in a laundromat, there is almost always something to catch my eye and morph gently into my paintings."