Local Artist shines at Art Show

Ben Beckstead will be featured at the Soda Springs Floral Shop at 160 East 2nd South, following an Open House for his art work on Saturday.  

Lucia Marie Crane (who goes by Marie), is a dedicated supporter of the local art community, and is happy to provide a space for artists to be able to show their work.  “There are a lot of amazing artists here in the area, and there isn’t really a place for them to show their art,” she says.  It’s a long story, but Marie ended up remodeling her floral shop after it was partially destroyed by a delivery truck.  The insurance allowed for a remodel that changed the space inside the building a bit, and opened up additional space that she decided to convert into a gallery/creator space.  Last summer, she featured several artists in a rotation in the space, and she plans to do the same this year, beginning with Beckstead.

Ben Beckstead is a member of the Caribou Community Theatre Guild, and works at the next door Family Dollar.  In his time off of work and the theatre, he produces art work largely dedicated to the subject of planets and “space scapes.”  Beckstead first saw the particular art demonstrated by an artist on Youtube and it grabbed him
right away.

The process involves using aerosol paint (spray paint, essentially) and a variety of materials to create textures on canvas.  The planet objects are created separate from the backgrounds, and then adhered to the canvas, creating a mild 3-D effect and allowing for highlights and shadows in a unique way.  Beckstead enjoys experimenting with colors and effects, sometimes ending up with surprises along the way.  “This one wasn’t supposed to be like this at all,” he smiles.  “But it worked out pretty well anyway, and I like how it looks.  If I like to look at it, that’s what matters to me,” he says.

A lot of other people like to look at what he has created too, it seems, as Marie rings up a number of sales throughout the morning.  The show will be up for the next two weeks, and those interested are encouraged to stop by the shop to examine Ben’s artwork as a display, and purchase anything they’d like to take home.  After the show, Ben’s work can be found on Instagram under BenBex26.  He is currently working on a page featuring just his artwork for Instagram and other social media.

“I’m amazed at what he’s been able to do,” his mother Kathy Dixon says.  “Our house is full of his paintings.  If we haven’t heard him for awhile, we know right where he is!”  That would be in the backyard where Ben works on his creations in the well-ventilated out of doors.

Ben graduated from Soda Springs High School, where he thanks the instruction of Andrew Berg for encouraging his artistic ambitions.  Beckstead has always enjoyed sketching and other forms of art, but found that he really started to focus on it more fully during his late high school years.  “I still find some of those old sketches and, some of them are not great,” he laughs.  “But others I think, yeah, that was pretty good!”  He also notes one experience in particular as helping to define his attitude about his own work.  “A friend liked a drawing I did, but he suggested some changes to it and I made them.  I tried to change it back, but it was never the same and I didn’t like it anymore.  I learned you have to do art for yourself.  I am the one critic I know how to control,” he says.

Marie Crane became interested in Beckstead’s art partly because of its unique character.  In addition to her work as a professional florist, Crane also works in a variety of other media, including “Zentangles”.  Her Facebook page, “Tangle with Marie” began as a small page devoted to sharing her interest in the meditative sketch and painting art, but now has a following of over 4,000 people.  Marie enjoys interacting with and sharing ideas with other artists.

“We’ve got to support each other in this community,” she says.  “And I thought, why not invite other artists to come in and share their work in this space I have?”  Any local artists interested in showing their work at Soda Springs Floral can contact Marie at 208-547-3129 or stop by the shop to speak with her.  She has plans to continue the Open House shows into the fall, and looks forward to seeing what else the local art community has underway.

For Benjamn’s part, he will be on hand off and on during the next two weeks, and is looking forward to continuing to do what he loves. “Just come down here and buy anything that catches your eye.”