A window into Ben Sears’s creative life

Benjamin Sears is not just a beloved teacher at ARHS; he is also a professional artist in his own right. His work is currently being featured at Gallery in the Woods in Brattleboro, Vermont, during the month of November. There will be an opening reception on Friday, November 11. I sat down with Sears to hear about his life, his education, and his artistic process.

Before becoming a teacher at ARHS, Sears attended the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) for his undergraduate degree. He got his BFA in illustration, and for graduate school, he attended the Cranbrook Academy of Art where he earned an MFA in painting.

Sears is not drawn to any one style of painting. “It’s like music,” he said. “I like many different genres and styles.” One of Sears’s favorite artists right now is Remedios Varo, who was a surrealist painter.

To begin a project or artwork, Sears begins by sketching in his sketchbook to get ideas. If he finds something that he resonates with, he will turn that sketch into a larger, more detailed piece, He works with mostly charcoal, ink, and pastel.

Sears said that he hasn’t actually been paid for art in a long time but he has been creating almost every day for close to 30 years.

As an artist, Sears says that one of his biggest inspirations is architectural forms, both natural and unnatural. “I am inspired by what I see,” he said.

 Sears even did a series on trucks after seeing them drive down his street.

To balance being both a teacher and an artist, Sears says that he tries to get into his art studio every day at least for a little bit, which can be hard because of how demanding teaching can be. “Teaching can provide creative energy for my art and creating can provide motivation for my teaching,” he said. “They can feed each other.”

Sears says that he gets stuck “every time” he starts a project. Sears has a couple of ways of dealing with it though,  “I either will put it away for a while and then come back to it with a new perspective or I’ll start a new piece completely.”

Sears does not care if people like his art at all, since he creates for himself.  “If I start to worry and care about what people think then it won’t be authentic,” he said.