7 minute read
Getting It Right
For creative design and painter right Benji Peck… it starts with embracing what is wrong.
BY LILY CLAYTON HANSEN | PHOTOS BY ADRIAN MORALES
That’s the epiphany artist Benji Peck realized when crafting pieces for his debut abstract series Thinking Feelings. It was a big step for Peck, a self-proclaimed perfectionist. Like many abstract artists, he experienced his first successes in realism. Though he’s always pushed against the norm of authority, Peck’s first career in design came from following the rules. As founder of Peck Design Associates, he’s innovated branding materials over 17 years for top hospitality and consumer clients, including the Noelle hotel and Halo Top. Although design satisfies the math/science/order sides of his personality, Peck started craving anything but structure. A personal crisis ‘knocked him sideways’ and caused him to become a bit unhinged. He started looking inward for a looser, spontaneous outlet.
He eventually turned to abstract painting, which first piqued his interest in college for its freedom and flexibility. The art form afforded Peck an excuse to get messy. He could create without a definite concept in mind, sorting emotions on canvas. Typically following a concrete plan, the intuitive nature of abstract felt like speaking in tongues. Rather than running from what made him uncomfortable, Peck embraced it. He found it fascinating, rather than frightening, to see himself as he was in that moment. Ironically, a beautiful series resulted from his emotional purging, as was a heightened level of self-acceptance. He hopes that Thinking Feelings (which shows the anxiety he went through in the form of scribbles, scratches, and repeating shapes) encourages viewers to accept their own “shadowy” sides. “Perhaps they’ll find a surprise by accepting their own ‘shortcomings’. Perfect is boring anyway,” Peck declares.
ON FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE AMBIGUOUS NATURE OF ABSTRACT ART EARLY ON
I attended a Christian University in Oklahoma, where a History of Design teacher first taught me about abstract art. The form is about self-editing and knowing when to stop even though is it done yet? is constantly running through my mind. (Laughs) I love that while you can have a concept, there should also be space for discomfort or ambiguity. I think only then can someone relate to a painting in a truly personal way.
CREATING MORE THAN A PRODUCT ON A SHELF
I am a ‘people-person’ who thrives when creating trusting relationships with my design clients. Working with food companies like (the wildly successful low-calorie ice cream brand) Halo Top since the beginning has been amazing. They exploded overnight, and it was exciting to be a part of creating a brand that people engaged with—so much that random individuals wore Halo Top-inspired Halloween costumes! Triumphs like that made me realize we were launching a modern iconic brand, not just an ice cream. While no industry has ever been the holy grail for me, I love hospitality campaigns because I enjoy helping people engage. Working with companies like The Spice House in Chicago and the Noelle fed my desire to work across the disciplines. I love designing products that people interact with overall.
A DEEPER SIGNIFICANCE BEHIND THE SERIES
My mother passed in early 2021. Like most parents and children, we had a complicated relationship. This series feels like a gift to her. I honestly believe that she is at peace because she no longer has to fear disappointing people or not living up to their standards. There was something about her dying that also released me from my expectations and gave me the courage to exhibit my work.
JUST DO YOU
I have always been inspired by the Italian Renaissance painter Giotto who was asked by the Pope to do some commissioned paintings. As the story goes, when he received this request, he took out his brush, painted a perfect circle, and handed it to the Pope’s messenger. He was trying to give him something that he didn’t expect. Circles are a theme in this show because it’s a shape that is recognizable yet cannot be perfectly rendered. Each time my circles improved but still imperfect. That ran parallel to my own struggles of always striving to be better and trying to accept myself. No one ever becomes exactly what they think they will be. We have to find joy in trying our best and knowing that we’ll evolve over time.
BECOMING A FAN OF THE FLAWS
Music is a huge part of my process. A song that sums up the work is “Says” by German composer and musician Nils Frahm. It has an orderly, rhythm-driven nature but is most enrapturing when he diverges from that and is less tame. During the business day, I am trying to create something as close to perfect as possible even though I know in my core there is something off-putting about perfection. It’s why a live drummer is more interesting than a drum machine. Even though I have painted for twenty years, the three that it took me to put this together was pivotal because it was about me being more human. We are all trying to get better, but I think we need to love who we are today rather than a “future person.”
A SHOUT OUT TO THOSE WHO PAVED THE PATH
I will never forget being in Europe and seeing a Rothko for the first time. It was massive in scale and had a depth of color that drew me in. People who want control, order, and to put life into a box walk up to a painting like that and say, “that is just paint on the canvas.” There is no rhyme or reason to his color blocks. He makes you uncomfortable by holding back.
STAYING CENTERED
Besides walking my dog every morning, I go to Portland Brew for my coffee fix because it’s one less thing that I have to think about. I find peace in a routine. I also like to sit with music or a book (preferably outdoors) and center myself before starting my day. As an extreme extrovert, it’s important for me to be alone. After work, I’ll hang out with friends or, if I’m feeling inspired, paint!
BOOKS AND MUSIC THAT KEEP THE CREATIVITY FLOWING
Right now, I’m studying different Eastern philosophies and am reading a lot of books at the same time: When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodran, Letters from a Poet by Rilke, Constellations by David White, and The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self Sabotage into Self-Mastery by Brianna West. Michael Kiwanuka, Cautious Clay, and of course Nils Frahm are some of my current favorite musical artists. Music that has soul.
BEST ADVICE ANYONE EVER GAVE YOU THAT YOU NOW GIVE TO OTHERS
There’s something I’ve read recently that I feel like I try to be conscious of a little more everyday: "Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer,” wrote Rainer Maria Rilke in "Letters to a Young Poet."
ON THE HORIZON
I’m working on another series of even larger oils that I hope to complete by early 2022. Additionally, I’m working on a collaborative show with Steven Visneau, a photographer out of Dallas, TX, that I’m very excited about for late 2021.
FAVORITE LOCAL CREATIVE PLAYERS
I still feel like I am new to the Nashville art scene because I have been in my design bubble for so long. For galleries, I’m a big fan of Tinney Contemporary downtown, Red Arrow in East Nashville, and Channel to Channel in Wedgewood-Houston. Local artists that I follow include Alex Lockwood, who has a real talent for combining art and space, abstract painter Lindsy Davis is someone I admire a lot; and my dear friend, portrait photographer Caroline Allison who has a great eye for documenting her subjects.
ON MUSIC CITY FOOD AND FLAIR
With the exception of canvas and paint, I probably spend most of my money in restaurants. Nashville has some standouts. It’s nice to see beautiful, delicious food being made here that’s as good, or better, than anything I’ve had elsewhere. I’m sharing the two best dishes I’ve had lately because I can’t stop thinking about either.
The Wild Caught Tuna Crudo at Henrietta Red is like everything that they do so well in a single dish. Light, balanced, and bright— it’s a revelation! The Germantown neighborhood bistro is a beautiful space with the best oysters. Their menu just gets better with every revision. The Steamed Halibut with Celery Root and Dill at Bastion was a bowl-licker. Bastion is consistently an enjoyable experience, offering some of the best food around the area.
As far as shopping goes, I love what Ethan Summers is doing at Oil and Lumber, constantly pushing his clothing silhouettes, furniture design, and construction.
THE BEST NEIGHBORHOOD VIBES
Wedgewood Houston is where I’ve worked for the last five years. It’s full of interesting textures, galleries, art, and eclectic people. And Dozen Bakery. Need I say more?
