BIO
MJ Benson (b. 1967) is a landscape artist living and working on the coast of Maine. Her work is anchored by the illusory horizon, and addresses the relationships of the earth, sky and water. As a painter, she works in bold and expressive gestures and colors, with an emphasis on abstraction rooted by the familiar. She immerses herself in the outdoors, sometimes literally, with her ocean swimming, sailing and fishing. Her previous work as a photographer and her extensive plein air painting practice informs larger work done in her studio. Working with oil, acrylic, watercolor and encaustic paint, she incorporates earth pigments and ocean/lake water in her pieces. She has far-reaching interests in other media, but all are bound by her interest in the physical and atmospheric properties of the earth, sky and water.
She has a BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Tufts University and an EdM from Harvard University. She is a recipient of a Maine Arts Commission Project Grant for Artists, 2022 and had solo shows at the Maine Audubon and at the Maine State House as part of the Maine Arts Commission Federal Arts In The Capitol program. Her work in painting, photography and printmaking has been exhibited and collected internationally.
MJ Benson (b. 1967) is a landscape artist living and working on the coast of Maine. Her work is anchored by the illusory horizon, and addresses the relationships of the earth, sky and water. As a painter, she works in bold and expressive gestures and colors, with an emphasis on abstraction rooted by the familiar. She immerses herself in the outdoors, sometimes literally, with her ocean swimming, sailing and fishing. Her previous work as a photographer and her extensive plein air painting practice informs larger work done in her studio. Working with oil, acrylic, watercolor and encaustic paint, she incorporates earth pigments and ocean/lake water in her pieces. She has far-reaching interests in other media, but all are bound by her interest in the physical and atmospheric properties of the earth, sky and water.
She has a BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/Tufts University and an EdM from Harvard University. She is a recipient of a Maine Arts Commission Project Grant for Artists, 2022 and had solo shows at the Maine Audubon and at the Maine State House as part of the Maine Arts Commission Federal Arts In The Capitol program. Her work in painting, photography and printmaking has been exhibited and collected internationally.
STATEMENT
“I begin with the horizon, its ever steady line of delineation between the spaces of land, sky, sea.
In between are layers and layers of light and color, sprung from my memory but unbound by realism.
I use a framework, a few rules of composition or color, but it’s the tension between what I expect and what the piece is saying that dictates the flow and finish.
I work, and wait, until the profound shifting between place and memory stills itself harmoniously.”
“I begin with the horizon, its ever steady line of delineation between the spaces of land, sky, sea.
In between are layers and layers of light and color, sprung from my memory but unbound by realism.
I use a framework, a few rules of composition or color, but it’s the tension between what I expect and what the piece is saying that dictates the flow and finish.
I work, and wait, until the profound shifting between place and memory stills itself harmoniously.”
SELECTED EXHIBITS
Solo:
Maine Audubon - Experimental Works on Paper - November 2023-January 2024
Taking Up Space, Experiments in the Studio - Thrive Together Network- May 2022 & 2023
Maine State House - Recent Work - Augusta, ME - September 2021-February 2022
The Francis, Maine - Recent Works - August-December 2018
Townsend Art Gallery - Summer 2017
Juried Group:
Kennebunk River Club Invitational Exhibition - Kennebunkport, ME - August 2023 & 2024
3S Art Space - Printmaking Exhibition - Portsmouth, NH, August 2024
Kerr Jones, East Boothbay, ME - Featured Artist - Summer 2024
COLLECT Show - Maine College of Art & Design - July 2023 & June 2024
Dwell - Taking.Up.Space - Mystic Open Studios, Arlington, MA - May 2024
Maine Evergreen Hotel - Featured Maine Artist - 2023/2024
State of Maine Employees Exhibition - Maine State House - July - October 2023
Living Systems - Fluid & Fragile - Governor’s Academy, MA - April-May 2023
Stay At Home Gallery Warmth Exhibit - Paris, TN - January-March 2022 (fiber)
Archipelago Gallery - Recent Works - Rockland, ME - October 2021 - February 2022
Brush With Nature, Maine Audubon Society, Plein Air Event and Auction, September 2021
3S Art Space - Transitions & Meditations - Portsmouth, NH, July 2-August 22, 2021
Portland Art Gallery - Featured Artist - 2/2018, 3/2019, 11/2020, 11/2022
Boxed Art Gallery, Tufts University - June 2020
Down East Magazine Art of Giving Gala, Featured Artist - 2017/2018
Cape Elizabeth Land Trust Paint for Preservation - 2017/2018
Maine Home & Design Magazine - Ones to Watch - December 2017
School of the Museum of Fine Arts Art Sale - Medici Artist - 2015-2024
Yarmouth Art Festival, Yarmouth, ME - October 2016 & 2017
AWARDS
Maine Arts Commission, Project Grant, 2022
Maine Arts Good Idea Grant, 2007
TEACHING
Southern Maine Community College - Adjunct Professor, Communications & New Media Studies
EDUCATION
Harvard University - EdM, 2000 (Arts in Education)
School of the Museum of Fine Art/Tufts University - BFA, 1995 (Photography)
Courses: Haystack Mountain School (Drawing, Pastels, Blacksmithing, Bladesmithing), Maine College of Art (Painting, Collage), NYC Crit Club Advanced Drawing & Painting with Judy Glantzman, Southern Maine Community College (Ceramics, Sculpture)
Solo:
Maine Audubon - Experimental Works on Paper - November 2023-January 2024
Taking Up Space, Experiments in the Studio - Thrive Together Network- May 2022 & 2023
Maine State House - Recent Work - Augusta, ME - September 2021-February 2022
The Francis, Maine - Recent Works - August-December 2018
Townsend Art Gallery - Summer 2017
Juried Group:
Kennebunk River Club Invitational Exhibition - Kennebunkport, ME - August 2023 & 2024
3S Art Space - Printmaking Exhibition - Portsmouth, NH, August 2024
Kerr Jones, East Boothbay, ME - Featured Artist - Summer 2024
COLLECT Show - Maine College of Art & Design - July 2023 & June 2024
Dwell - Taking.Up.Space - Mystic Open Studios, Arlington, MA - May 2024
Maine Evergreen Hotel - Featured Maine Artist - 2023/2024
State of Maine Employees Exhibition - Maine State House - July - October 2023
Living Systems - Fluid & Fragile - Governor’s Academy, MA - April-May 2023
Stay At Home Gallery Warmth Exhibit - Paris, TN - January-March 2022 (fiber)
Archipelago Gallery - Recent Works - Rockland, ME - October 2021 - February 2022
Brush With Nature, Maine Audubon Society, Plein Air Event and Auction, September 2021
3S Art Space - Transitions & Meditations - Portsmouth, NH, July 2-August 22, 2021
Portland Art Gallery - Featured Artist - 2/2018, 3/2019, 11/2020, 11/2022
Boxed Art Gallery, Tufts University - June 2020
Down East Magazine Art of Giving Gala, Featured Artist - 2017/2018
Cape Elizabeth Land Trust Paint for Preservation - 2017/2018
Maine Home & Design Magazine - Ones to Watch - December 2017
School of the Museum of Fine Arts Art Sale - Medici Artist - 2015-2024
Yarmouth Art Festival, Yarmouth, ME - October 2016 & 2017
AWARDS
Maine Arts Commission, Project Grant, 2022
Maine Arts Good Idea Grant, 2007
TEACHING
Southern Maine Community College - Adjunct Professor, Communications & New Media Studies
EDUCATION
Harvard University - EdM, 2000 (Arts in Education)
School of the Museum of Fine Art/Tufts University - BFA, 1995 (Photography)
Courses: Haystack Mountain School (Drawing, Pastels, Blacksmithing, Bladesmithing), Maine College of Art (Painting, Collage), NYC Crit Club Advanced Drawing & Painting with Judy Glantzman, Southern Maine Community College (Ceramics, Sculpture)
