Ben Normand

normandpainting@yahoo.com

normandpainting.com

Instagram: @normandpainting

Using oil paint on stretched canvas, Normand captures the sensory experience of Northern New Mexico through both plein air and studio painting. He is deeply inspired to depict the ever-changing play of light upon the landscape, the fantastical shapes of the flora, and the crystalline air of the high-desert.

Normand says plein air painting is both challenging and exhilarating. It makes him cede control and embrace the constraints of time, weather, and light. His plein air paintings embody a loose, impressionistic style, and a distillation of bold forms. Using impasto texture and directional movement, dynamic brushwork vibrates with the energy the scene inspired in him.

In his recent work, Normand transitions plein air pieces into the studio, transforming them into larger, expressionistic compositions. He slows down his process by carefully considering the relationships between forms and infusing the palette with golden and acid hues. He aims to evoke a dream-like quality of light that conjures the experience embedded in memory.

Normand’s practice is an implicit critique of our digitally-distracted age. It is a testament to the power of patient observation amidst technological noise. Inspired by fantasy epics like “Lord of the Rings”, he uses the recurring motif of passageways to lead the viewer into imagination and embodiment, encouraging a slowdown and disconnection from technology.

His work merges plein air's sensory depth with the deliberate introspection of studio work, inviting viewers into an immersive space free from digital distractions.