Artworks by ben steele

While Steele works and lives full time in Helper, the majority of his artwork is exhibited and sold in galleries around the United States. These works temporarily on display at Beg, Borrow and Steele will travel to Jackson WY in June for a solo exhibition at Altamira Fine Art, titled WANTED: IN THE NEW WEST.

Steele said the following about his upcoming exhibition and these three featured pieces.

“Altamira and its owner Jason Williams really have a vision for leading a new interpretation of western art: something he’s calling the New West. I share that vision and set a theme for my show to reflect that. Wanted: In the New West is going after those traditions of western art: the cowboy, films, sprawling landscapes and western art heroes. But, in my work, I always want to have some fun with those mainstays that can become tropes if not explored at a deeper level. I hope that my art is able to tell more of a layered, engaging story because I always shoot for it to be about several things at once and balance between reverence and satire.

The Best of the West Inn is a homage to how the early western painters brought the heroics of the west to the consciousness of the much more established east coast population. When you see these giant Morans or Bierstadts in the National Galleries, you can only imagine the impact 100 years ago when these painters showed people imagery of the grand canyon or Yellowstone for the first time. So, my imagined scene is just seeing that Moran interpretation of the Yellowstone grand canyon just beyond some basic motel, yet that ordinary place is illuminated in an extraordinary way from neon and signage. I like pitting the grand against the mundane and it’s always a platform to sneak in some puns, too.

Cowpoke Crayon Pencils is one of my traditional pencil scenes, yet seeking to convey the classic art of the old west in a new and fresh way.

Triple Feature was just an engaging exercise to me. I get to play advertising designer for a minute and decide how these old vintage westerns might market themselves on a liquor product. It’s like two different kinds of indulgences coming together, plus I think conveying glass is pretty joyful. There is so much light and shape to describe. Glass is just a beautiful thing, the way it curves and reflects.