Jon Benjamin
I grew up in an artistic family, so creativity surrounded me from a very early age. Some of my earliest memories are helping in the family decorative/faux finish business. Art, music, and literature have shaped my life from the beginning. I started playing piano when I was eight and have always been partial to classical music. I like to challenge myself with new instruments and have recently started playing the cello. I play daily as a form of meditation and relaxation. I always have at least two books going at the same time. I can get lost for hours at a time, scrolling art pages of artists I admire and planning my next interior design project.
As most kids do, I wandered off into my own artistic career as a hairstylist. I love working with color and texture, so it was a perfect fit for me. As the family business grew, I returned to hone my skills, eventually becoming a partner. Believing that any form of art promotes creativity, we regularly took decorative painting and art workshops. This allowed me the chance to dabble in many different mediums. I discovered my passion for pencil drawing and portraits, and lately, I’ve been translating my portraits into oil paintings. I now understand what it means when artists talk about getting in the zone and flow of creating, and it’s one of my favorite places to be!