SHINY HAPPY THINGS .......MIRROR ART........ |
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THIS WEBSITE IS ABOUT 'MIRROR ART' CREATED BY MARYLAND ARTIST BOB BENSON. BOB HAS BEEN WORKING WITH MIRRORS SINCE 2004 AND HAS CREATED MANY 'ARTWORKS' FROM MIRRORS. FOR BIO INFO ON BOB, CLICK HERE. BOB'S NEIGHBOR, RICK AMES, IS A SUPERB ARTIST WORKING PRIMARILY IN METAL AND SCULPTURE. YOU CAN SEE BIO INFORMATION ON RICK BY CLICKING HERE. RICK AND BOB COLLABORATED ON TWO MAJOR PROJECTS FOR THE AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM: THE TREE (S), AND THE POND. FOR MORE INFORMATIONP/PICTURES CLICK ON THE NAMES BELOW. WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS. WRITE
TO trebor36@verizon.net HERE ARE BASIC TYPES OF
'MIRROR ART' SOME OF THESE ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED , PLEASE WRITE TO: trebor36@verizon.net |
Flashies
are simple strands of double mirrors hanging on a filament. They
are weather-proof
and can be hung outside where it
is breezy and sunny—they will make a constant show of flashing
lights in your yard. Or they can be hung in a sunny window—where
they will make a shiny display for
you. |
OSCILLA Oscilla (plural of "oscillum") are round disks from 6 to 12 inches in diameter (they also can be larger). The Greeks and Romans often hung them in their courtyards and vineyards to bring them good luck and a good harvest. Often there was a picture of Bacchus on one side. None of Benson's have Bacchus, but there often are faces of a Mexican or Axtec character - or sometimes none at all - just brilliant colors in varied designs, which you can see by clicking on the name. These are meant to be outdoors, but also make a distinctive decoration inside your home. |
INFINITY MIRROR PROJECTS An exciting new way to work with mirrors is to use the special "one way mirrors" along with regular mirrors. This can produce spectacular results. The "Magic Mirror Boxes" should be used inside, and can be on a table or mounted on a wall. For more, with pictures, click on "Infinity Mirror Projects" above. |
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JEWELRY This "jewelry" is made of brilliantly-colored mirrors and stained glass, usually in the form of a pendant. |
MIRROR CREATURES These are round or square plaques up to ten inches across and represent "creatures" — including Maryland crabs, butterflies, various fish and many odd creatures yet to be identified. |
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In early summer of 2005, AVAM wished to have the oak tree outside their main entrance on Key Highway next to the Inner Harbor decorated with mirrors. Benson made all of the mirror decorations, and the trunk of the tree was decorated with mirrors as well. This major project would not have been possible without the design and installation expertise of my nextdoor neighbor, Rick Ames, is a superb artist working primarily in metal and sculpture (check out his BIO). Decoration of the tree (here called TREE ONE) was very successful — see pictures of it HERE. HOWER, THERE WAS A PROBLEM!! When we first began to decorate THE TREE it was obvious it was severely stressed. There were many termites, along with bag caterpillars, and the tree was not long for this world. It died in the fall of 2006, was removed—and replaced with LIVE TREE TWO. Pprofessionally planted in November 2006, this was a smaller oak tree and seemed to be very healthy. We wanted this tree to remain healthy and were able to secure, with the help of Baltimore artist Gene Winford, a metal "girdle" about five feet high that wrapped around the entire tree trunk. Rick Ames worked his magic in augmenting the metal "girdle" by attaching eight-foot iron extensions to each of the vertical bars. All of the heavier decorations for the tree were hung from this to avoid stress on the tree itself. The "girdle" was then covered with mirrors, with an exotic, wildly-colored "vine" made from colored mirrors encircling the entire trunk. Tree Two looked quite spectacular and you can see some pictures of it HERE, the way it looked in May 2007. If you look closely, you'll see all sorts of intriguing "creatures" including a pair of flamingos, a penguin, a cat, a dog, a frog, an octopus and various other odd things, along with a wide range of glittering, shimmering flashies. THEN, A PROBLEM!! Tree Two appeared to be vibrantly healthy in the spring of 2007. Then it suddenly died!! Inspection showed the soil around the tree was infested (as before) with termites, even though it had been treated for this problem. There was no way to save Tree Two. NOW, TREE THREE (!!!!!) |
Late in the summer of 2005, AVAM acquired a magnificent large statue of Icarus created by British artist Andrew Logan , made from mirrors and stained glass. This statue hangs in the center hallway of AVAM’s main building, mounted so that it very slowly turns as it moves up and down, at the highest point being near the AVAM ceiling, lowest point about ten feet above the floor. AVAM requested the team of Benson/Ames to make a “reflecting pond” of mirrors below Icarus, and the result was OCEANUS, the name given to the mirror creation whichsymbolically represents the ocean into which Icarus fell. The Pond is about 17 feet long and six feet across at the widest point. It is made of thousands of pieces of mirror, each individually cut and formed into various shapes. The vertical six inch high ring around the entire pond, made from strands of half-inch double quarter-inch mirrors, contains more than 6,000 pieces. Since initial installation in September 2005, the pond has been elaborated considerably. Here are some pictures of THE POND including much of the detail elements. Now, something NEW! Icarus shortly
will have The Sun to fly to!
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Workshops are given at the American Visionary Art Museum next to Baltimore's Inner Harbor and the Chesapeake Arts Center in Brooklyn Park just south of Baltimore.They are also given in Bob's studio in his home in Glen Burnie. The current workshop schedule is as follows: CHESAPEAKE ARTS CENTER Saturday, June 27, 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM FOR PICTURES OF WORKSHOPS click HERE |
GRAPEVINE DRIFTWOOD MIRROR 'TREES' These are made from grapevine treated driftwood, or from branches taken from bushes, mounted on a mirror and decorated with mirror "leaves." |
In honor of Archbishop Desmond Tutu's visit to the American Visionary Art Museum January 21, 2006 at AVAM's Tenth Anniversary Celebration, Bob designed and made a mirrored symbolic rendition of a Bishop's Ring to present to Archbishop Tutu. The Ring was made from 1/4" inch mirror, and is about 4 1/2 inches wide. |
These "cities" are made from paired pieces of quarter-inch mirrors glued
together. |
