FLASHIES

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.

FLOWER/BUD VASES
Never being able to find an appropriate vase to hold flowers or single blossoms, Bob made them out of mirrors. They are water-proof, will never tip over, and surely complement the flowers.

THE TREE (S) AT THE AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM

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 (!!!!!)

This large tree "sculpture" (the highest point is about 21 ft. off the ground), rests on a "trunk" about 7 ft. high. This trunk is made of strong steel and covered with mirrors decorated with vines enricling the entire trunk, with many different colors of mirrors used. The base of TREE THREE begins at the top of the trunk, and is about 9 feet wide at the bottom. The nine layers of metal "branches" were made by Rick Ames. These branches are decorated with thousands of pieces of mirrors and it creates a dazzling display in sunlight. The Visionary Art Museum has called this "The Universal Tree of Life, and it is a part of AVAM's permanent collection, in conjunction with their new show "Religions of the World" which opened in October 2007. For pictures of TREE THREE, click HERE.

THE ICARUS REFLECTING POND AT AVAM

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.

WORKSHOPS

Workshops are given at the Visionary Art Museum next to Baltimore's Inner Harbor, as well as the Chesapeake Arts Center in Brooklyn Park just south of Baltimore. They are also given in Bob' studio. It is not difficult to create beautiful works of art from mirrors—once one learns the process, which is quite easy. Mirrors are "scored," then "cut" using a paid of running pliers. Pieces of mirror are then glued together in various forms and shapes. All of the mirror artwork you see on this site has been created this way. For more information on workshops, please contact AVAM (410) 244-1900), the Chesapeake Arts Center (410) 636-6597) or Bob Benson (410) 761-2451) or email: trebor36@verizon.net

For pictures of workshops, click HERE.

THE BISHOP'S RING

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.

MIRROR CITIES

These "cities" are made from paired pieces of quarter-inch mirrors glued together.
They are visionary "cities" that make a great show in bright light.