By Chuy Dominguez
Circulation Manager
Ben Zawalich didn’t do very well in high school and only discovered his passion to create art in college.
Zawalich was invited to Northwestern Oklahoma State University to stay four months to work on his projects. Ben is a painter and printmaker originally from Boston, Massachusetts.
He travels around the world and has been invited to many art shows to present and give out speeches about his artwork and has received residency awards from Ghana, Japan, France, Italy and many other countries. Zawalich’s art consists of photographing his old paintings, printing them out and then using them to make a collage in newer creations.
Many other universities reached out to Zawalich to hold an art showcase for people to take inspiration. He comes from many different parts of the world for others to perceive his projects and to learn more about his special technique of making collages and painting over them.
“My inspiration would come from local parks or walks around a town to gather some general image will come to my head,” Zawalich said. The elements that remain constant in all those images begin to take on the appearance of mythology.
One of his largest works took him three months to finish and it is named “Papel Falso.” He said this project is his proudest and most memorable piece to work on.
Ever since Zawalich started school at the University of Boston, he discovered his passion for art.
“I wasn’t exactly the best kid to attend class daily,” he said. “I didn’t do well in high school either. So, I just went toward art to see if I was any good at it.” He wanted to become different and for people to look at his art differently.
Many artists around the world don’t exactly re-create old images to reinvent new creations and add them to a bigger project. But, Zawalich does it in a unique style that it is hard for others to copy his exact paintings. He has a wife living in Chile with him before his residency here.
His wife doesn’t necessarily get his art as he does. “My wife doesn’t like to look at them,” Zawalich said.
He doesn’t use social media to create a larger market. Other artists wouldn’t need to because the number of images that are posted each day is so massive that it would be hard to come across his art pieces.
Zawalich tries to avoid using social media because he wants people to look at his art in person and to take time perceiving his work.
A culminating exhibition of the work Zawalich creates at NWOSU will be displayed on Friday, April 5 during the April First Friday Art Walk.
He will also be speaking at a workshop on April 3 and after will conduct an Assembled Drawing Workshop.
This event is free and open to all, and supplies are provided. All experience levels are welcome.
Experience creating a drawing through embarking on a collaborative, non-linear drawing process that utilizes construction, deconstruction and collage as key elements in the creative pursuit.