Ben Jamin

This is a painting of the space under a 1930's viaduct near my studio, in late winter. The sunlight alludes to the coming warmth of Spring. It also reveals the state of disrepair of this old viaduct, as well as the salt and dirt from a long winter. I named the painting Ben Jamin because this viaduct is on Benjamin Ave. However, the street sign used to have a capital J for some reason. A mistake that has since been corrected. I always thought that was funny.

Ben Jamin was selected by the City of Royal Oak in 2019 to be part of their Art Explored program. This is a public art program where artists paintings are reproduced on Dibond, an outdoor aluminum composite material, and displayed throughout the downtown. In 2022, I donated the reproduction to the city. Ben Jamin is still hanging on the side of Center Street Garage today.