Woman with Beast featured on Tyr Journal

Image appears on the cover of the current Tyr Journal, a cultural periodical which previously featured artwork by the legendary painter, Odd Nerdrum.  Design layout by the renown artist Stephen O'Malley.

The journal also includes a brief article about Benjamin A. Vierling by author Joshua Buckley. 

Woman with Beast
Egg tempera & oil on panel
18 x 24 inches

Of Beauties & Beasts International group show.

Two original Vierling works on display in the 'Of Beauties & Beasts' international group show, at the Clement Art Gallery in Troy, New York.

Included in the exhibit is The Valkyrie, an egg tempera & oil painting on panel, measuring 24 x 34 inches. The work was originally displayed in the 2011 Vierling, 'Mythos' exhibit at the Roq La Rue Gallery in Seattle, Washington. The painting extols the timeless legend of the fearless warrior maidens who guide the fallen on the long journey from the battlefield to Valhöll.

Also included in the show is a unique portrait drawing of Gymnogyps californianus, the California Condor. The drawing is executed in pen, ink & gouache on paper.  The framed piece measures 16.5 x 21 inches. The endangered Condor is here exalted through the aesthetic of arcane portraiture,  to be remembered, honored, & protected.

Both works are offered for sale. 

On July 25, 2014 The Clement Art Gallery will open a group exhibition of thirteen national and international artists entitled: “of Beauties and Beasts". An opening reception will take place on Friday July 25 from 6-9pm. The exhibition will run through September 20. A small exhibition catalogue will be produced and available at the end of August.

The show comprises approximately 30 paintings and sculptures from a contingent of representational artists whose subjects tend toward the uncanny and fantastic. In "of Beauties and Beasts," the human form -- idealized and bestial -- appears alongside myriad fellows of the animal kingdom in scenes bizarre and whimsical. 

Exhibiting Artists Include: Claus Brusen, Jon Christopher Gernon, Russell Gordon, Igor Grechanyk, Caitlin Hackett, Spring Hofeldt, Steven Kenny, Richard A. Kirk, Jennifer Knaus, Scherer & Ouporov, Benjamin Vierling, Jeff Wigman, Rodney Wood. 

For additional information, please visit the online presentation and the Clement Art Gallery.

Notable Press on the exhibit:
Fine Art Connoisseur
Wall Street International

Gemini in Constellation Group Show

Unveiling Gemini, an ink and gouache rendering on toned paper.

The original will be displayed in the Constellation group show, curated by Yvette Endrijautzki. The Opening reception will be held on Thursday, March 13, at the True Love Gallery in Seattle. 

Vierling's Gemini image explores the hallmarks of the third zodiacal sign with meticulously crafted symbolic nuance.

"The Jester holds the dualistic personae of comedy and tragedy in his wry hands. Under the idiot's crested cowl is the glittering cosmic face of the infinite; the inquisitive mind that is the signature attribute of Gemini. Alternating masks invert established paradigms in order to discover oblique truths, embodying the maxim, Nichts ist wahr, Alles ist erlaubt. On the Jester's motley shoulder perches a bi-toned Magpie, trickster and collector of mischief par excellence.

An ornate strap-work frame orbits the central subject, exploring Gemini's many faces through myth and iconography. In each corner, a spherical device provides a vehicle for measuring the empirical. The miniature scene at the zenith illustrates Gemini's heraldic twins, Romulus and Remus.To the left is an enshrined Caduceus. To the right is the book of words, a locked vessel flanked by opposing cherubim who silently proclaim, as above so below.

At the nadir, the theater of strategy recedes into the architectural edifice on a playing field of black & white checkered tiles. The black Knight has conquered the adversity in his path, threatening the white King with checkmate. Unseen players may yet determine the fate of this deadly game. Expect the unexpected. Gemini's dance with destiny can change tunes with the flip of a coin."

At the True Love Art Gallery in March.
Opening Thursday the 13th, 5 PM to Midnight.

and at the Fulcrum Gallery for the month of April. 
Opening Friday the 11th, 6 to 10 PM

Embers & Revelations painting at Modern Eden Gallery

The original Embers & Revelations painting will appear in The Grotesque: International Art Exhibition, at Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco.

 Modern Eden Gallery is pleased to announce The Grotesque, a group exhibition in the style of grotesques in which natural forms and monstrous figures are intertwined in bizarre or fanciful combinations.  The grotesque has a long legacy in the chronicles of art history. The philosophical ideas of Plato and Plotinus on horror versus beauty in the classical era inspired a resurgence in grotesque drawing and painting during the Renaissance.

Directly influenced by Dante’s Inferno and his particular vision of hell, many artists began considering the verso of surface level beauty. By measuring the depths of ugliness and horror through painting, artists of all ages like Leonardo da Vinci, Gustave Dore, Francisco Goya, Hieronymus Bosch, Edvard Munch, Otto Dix and more have discovered that the strength of the grotesque art form lies in it’s ability to measure beauty.  (Modern Eden press release)

The Embers & Revelations artwork originally featured on an album cover for the canadian band, Weapon, for their 2012 release on Relapse Records.

In the background is the ‘Kalachakra’. Fate's wheel. Ever revolving, ever turning, and in the process, succumbing to entropy and decay. The apex predators flank the Kalachakra as guardians, adversaries, and heraldic totems. The horned schädel may be regarded as an evocation, a trophy, and a memorial all at once. It indicates the rudimentary structure of man as both beast and conscious vessel, the red eye of extraordinary perception being emblazoned on the Ajna chakra – seeing beyond seeing. The crown is an allusion to the song, ‘Shahenshah’ – the King of all Kings. The snakes insinuate divine gnosis through venomous initiation. Their tenacious coils evoke the grip of Noghogg, the serpent from nordic myth who gnaws as the foundation of the world. (Vierling. HH interview)

 Interested collectors please contact the Modern Eden Gallery.

The opening reception will be held at Modern Eden Gallery on Saturday, March 8th from 6-10pm. Select featured group show artists will be in attendance at the reception. The exhibition will be on display through March 22, 2014 and is free and open to the public.  

Modern Eden Gallery
403 Francisco Street @ Powell Street | San Francisco, CA
Regular Gallery Hours: 10am - 6pm Tuesday - Saturday

PAX art print available via Samaritan Press

PAX is a fine art, 2 color, silkscreened print measuring 18 x 24 inches, available in an edition of 50 on Natural White, and an edition of 50 on Epic Black.  Screened at the renowned Monolith Press in Alameda, California, on Classic Crest 100 lb paper. All prints are signed and numbered by the artist. Available via mail order to all national and international destinations via Samaritan Press.

Inspired by the complex patterns of birds in flight, the starburst of doves evokes both radiance and harmony. PAX. Peace under sovereignty, A herald for the winter solstice, when the longest night kindles the divine spark of potential to come.

~

The image was originally created as an alum cover for the German band, Fyrnask, as the cover of their recent Eldir Nótt release. The album art was nominated for the Best Art Vinyl 2013 prize in the United Kingdom, and selected amongst Redefine Magazine's best album covers of the year.

~

Vierling Decennary Retrospective Exhibit

Portrait of Joanna Newsom. 2006. Egg tempera & oil on panel.

Announcing a Benjamin A. Vierling solo exhibition. 

'A Decennary Retrospective' showcases previously unexhibited works, select paintings on loan from private collections, preliminary drawings, and various illustrations, to provide a unique view of Vierling's diverse oeuvre from the past 10 years.

Included in the show is the Portrait of Joanna Newsom, which will be publicly displayed for the first time. The painting of Newsom was featured on the cover of her critically acclaimed album, Ys. Utilizing painting techniques found in traditional renaissance portraiture, the composition synthesizes mythology, symbolism, and folklore with a uniquely contemporary subject. 
 

The Opening reception for the show takes place on Friday, January 17, 2014, from 6pm-8pm in the Steele Gallery, at the Gage Academy of Art, Seattle. Vierling discusses his techniques, influences and working processes in a concurrent lecture, The Synthesis of Conflicting Forces, at 7pm in the Geo studio. 

Vierling Exhibition: January 17 - February 14, 2014.  

Steele Gallery

Hours: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Daily.

Gage Academy of Art
1501 10th Ave. East, #101
Seattle, WA 98102

Select works are available for purchase. Interested collectors please contact the Steele Gallery at Gage.

"What makes the act of painting so profound is the actual process of seeing and rendering; the bridge from eye to hand. It’s an endeavor that literally evokes an inchoate vision and gives it a physical presence. The art lies in tempering inspiration with the structure of technique."  B.A.Vierling