Robert Benjamin has lived in New Mexico since 1971. He was interested in the arts at an early age and won several state and national awards for commercial design while still in high school. After high school Bob went to the Ivy School of Professional Art in Pittsburgh. At this time he began thinking seriously about the southwest and decided to move to New Mexico. Bob worked as a graphic designer and illustrator and continued to develop his own artistic style. In 1976 he began working …
Robert Benjamin has lived in New Mexico since 1971. He was interested in the arts at an early age and won several state and national awards for commercial design while still in high school. After high school Bob went to the Ivy School of Professional Art in Pittsburgh. At this time he began thinking seriously about the southwest and decided to move to New Mexico. Bob worked as a graphic designer and illustrator and continued to develop his own artistic style. In 1976 he began working under the direction of Master Printer, Ben Adams, at Western Graphics Lithography studio. Many of Bob’s lithographs are in the museums and private and public collections.
Broadening his horizons, Bob became interested in bronze sculpture and in 1980 Bob and a partner opened Southwest Bronze, a sculpture foundry and artist contract studio, in downtown Albuquerque. Always looking for new experiences and knowledge, Bob began to study steel sculpture fabrication at the University of New Mexico with sculptor, David Anderson. When he determined that Southwest Bronze had fulfilled its mission, in 1986, he became involved in many design projects. He designed children’s wear for an international market, was an art director for several Albuquerque advertising agencies and in 1992 he attended computer classes at the University of New Mexico to further his illustration and design skills. At this time he also designed silver jewelry.
In 1995 Bob began to paint landscapes full-time working with impressionist landscape painter, Les Hawks. He traveled the entire state of New Mexico for artistic inspiration for the beauty of its land forms and dramatic lighting. In 1998 New Mexico Magazine invited Bob to be the published 2001 Distinguished Calendar Artist for the millennium issue. His expression and artistic vision of the innate beauty of New Mexico landscape continues to be celebrated.
