The drawings represent my ongoing study of planar structure relating to the human figure. The purpose of the drawings is to articulate that structure not so much how I see it, but how I understand it. This understanding is centered around obvious proportion and anatomical information, but also the figure's relationship to the space it sits in and its actions in that space. The effects of gravity and perspectival considerations also influence decisions and lend a high level of realism to the drawings. The blankness of the paper is intended to intensify the effect of volume within the subject and draw attention to the physicality of the surface.

 

born: 1974, Hartford, CT

education

Fontbonne University, MFA
Central Connecticut State University, BA

selected awards/honors

Best in Show Award, The Florida International Combined Talents Exhibition, Florida State University
       Museum of Fine Arts, Tallahassee, FL, 2005
Allied Artists of America Gold Medal of Honor (for Oil Painting), Allied Artists of America 91st Annual
       Exhibition, New York, NY, 2004
Faber Birren Color Award, 23rd Annual Faber Birren National Color Award Show, Stamford Art Association,
       Stamford, CT, 2003
Realism Award, Biennial 2002, Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA, 2002

selected solo or two-person exhibits

Benjamin J. Shamback and Kate Samworth, LeMieux Galleries, New Orleans, LA, 2006
Benjamin J. Shamback, Paintings, Three Sinks Gallery, St. Louis, MO, 2004
Sections: Benjamin J. Shamback, Eichold Gallery, Springhill College, Mobile, AL, 2003
Oil Paintings on Steel, Three Sinks Gallery, St. Louis, MO, 2001

selected group shows

What's in a Name? The Ben Show, Spruill Art Center, Atlanta, GA, 2006
National Drawing Exhibit, Santa Cruz Art League, Santa Cruz, CA, 2005
Introductions, Hidell Brooks Gallery, Charlotte, NC, Invitational Exhibition, 2005
International Juried Show, New Jersey Center for the Visual Arts, Summit, NJ, 2003