Style Artist

Ben Tankard chats to style

Tell us a little about yourself What inspires your style? When did you start painting? How has it evolved and what has influenced this? What are some of the greatest achievements of your artistic life?

I’ve always loved art but I began to work on it daily in 2012 when one of my paintings was included in the Sulman Prize, which was a real boost. By 2016, I was lucky enough to be able to quit my day job and paint full time. I’m a painter, living and working in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney. Being able to paint every day for a living is something I’m very thankful for. Having shows at Michael Reid’s beautiful gallery in Murrurundi, and also having my paintings in a show for the centenary of the Gallipoli landings, alongside works by Sidney Nolan and George Lambert, was pretty surreal! For the past three years or so I’ve been painting in a pop art style, inspired by the covers of Penguin books, albums, board games, comic books and playing cards. I was particularly influenced by the 20th century American painter Jasper Johns, who took everyday images like the American flag, and then transformed them into rich, textured paintings on canvas. I’m always going for a balance between the clean design of the original image, and a more expressive kind of chaos. I’ve tried to keep learning, for instance with drawing and printmaking classes, and a lot of that finds its way back into my paintings. A big influence recently was a trip to Brett Whiteley’s studio to see his early abstract paintings. He broke all the rules, in terms of the materials he used, combining drawing, collage and painting.

What is your dream goal or project?

Many and varied! I want to paint more portraits and landscapes and improve my skills there, and in the opposite direction, I want to paint gigantic abstract paintings. I don’t want to limit myself to one style or subject matter.