Emerging artist Ben Austen never predicted he would be creating aesthetically beautiful pieces of hyper realistic artwork.
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The property valuer took an interest in his creative abilities about five years ago. A happy-go-luck individual, Austen found himself struggling with anxiety.
“Things were just starting to get on top of me,” he said.
After seeking some professional advice, Austen decided to take up drawing as a method of relaxation.
“Mindfulness is about appreciating the moment, and I suppose that is what art has taught me,” he said.
Using YouTube videos and contacting professional artists, Austen was able to teach himself the technical skills required for hyper realistic art. The meticulous analytical skills required as a valuer have influenced Austen’s drawing.
“This is probably where my anxiety came from - as a valuer you are really analytical, you are analysing everything,” he said.
“What I do is an attempt to make things look realistic, so it is looking at very fine details and maybe that comes from [my valuer] background.”
The father of three said he was drawn to hyper realistic art because he enjoys the challenge of making his work as photo realistic as possible.
Mindfulness is about appreciating the moment and...that is what art has taught me.
- Ben Austen
“The satisfying moment is when people look at your work and say, ‘that is a nice photo’, and you say, ‘no it is a drawing’, and then they start looking at it in a completely different way,” he said.
“That is why I do it, because ultimately I love seeing that look on people.”
Still in the very early stages of his artistic career, Austen has already had some incredible achievements.
He created a drawing for North Melbourne Football Club’s celebration gala to commemorate the club’s 20th anniversary of their centennial cup.
Austen was also named as a finalist in the Lyn McCrea drawing prize in Noosa, Queensland.
“I don’t know where my art stands in the world, it is really hard and I suppose you might not know that until you get your first really big sale,” he said.
Austen hopes to get a few more drawings under his belt before he starts contacting galleries about holding his first exhibition.
Two of Austen’s works will feature at the Tasmanian Art Award at Eskleigh from November 5 to 7. For more information about Austen’s work visit his Facebook page Ben Austen Artist or Instagram account austen_ben.
