Benjamin Vanderwerff

Ben Vanderwerff, who lives in the Skagit Valley area, is a multidisciplinary artist whose paintings combine oil and acrylic paint with spray paint, and draws from his background as a graphic and industrial designer to create colorful and detailed paintings of wildspaces. For Vanderwerff, his en-plein air approach to painting is more than a process; it is essential to the work itself. Vanderwerff drives his specialized off-road vehicle on narrow, treacherous off-map forest roads, then hikes with his canvases and other materials until locating his composition. He will often spend days in the forest painting. Honoring both beauty and struggle, his practice embraces the tension between artistic control and the unpredictability of the elements; oil and acrylic he harnesses for precision, and spray paint injects necessary randomness. Each piece is the result of sustained, focused physical engagement with the land, studying every single line, shade, and hue of the environment. “Art for me is more of an obligation than a lifestyle choice,” Vanderwerff says. “There is no other solution or remedy.”

Available Works