I have known Ben for the majority of my life. We attended the same elementary and high schools and his brother and I were good friends growing up. He is a multi-talented kid who had tried his hand at many different art forms including music, screen printing and now photography.
Name: Ben Deutsch
Location: Sonora, CA
Medium(s): photography
What do you consider yourself (artist/designer/other)? artist
Where can we see your work (place/publications/url)? Hopefully, if I play my cards right in a local gallery.
When did you start gaining interest in artistic forms of expression? Oh, about four or five years ago when I started venturing out more and more.
Who/What inspired your interest? My surroundings. sometimes you see things that just have to be photographed.
Where do you first remember being exposed to art? As a young child. color crayons, finger paints… you know
What is your day job? Right now… trying to find a day job.
Why do you create? I have no idea.
Is there any recurring theme in your work? Not intentionally.
What do you want from your work? Satisfaction.
What do you want viewers to take from your work? I want them to see what I saw, and feel what I felt when I took the shot. The idea behind it is to show people something that they haven’t seen before, or a new perspective of a common object.
How often do you work on personal projects? Most of the time.
How often do you work on commissions or commercial work? I haven’t yet.
Does your art support you financially? Not at all. Quite the opposite actually.
Do you feel preoccupied with your art, do you think about it often during the day and night and do you anticipate your next session? Yes. Taking the shot, developing the film, printing the picture, and mounting it can take a couple weeks. It’s hard not to think about it when you’re not working on it.
What do you do in your spare time besides your art? I’ve been known to spend hours sitting around playing music. I also have this inherent fascination with fishing.
Which musicians are you currently interested in? At the Drive-In, Chuck Ragan, Austin Lucas, Minus the Bear. Ask me again tomorrow.
Are there any events you are looking forward to attending? Dentist appointment?
How long do you generally take on a piece? On average from start to finish… 3 weeks. Although I have film that I shot almost a year ago that I am just now making prints of.
Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of your art? No
Do you work on multiple projects at once? All the time.
Do you have trouble parting with your finished work? No, because it usually goes somewhere where it is appreciated.