May’s ArtSpace exhibition is brought to us by Steve Karn and Mark Benterman!

Steve Karn – Visual Artist and Audio Producer

‘Back in the day (way, way back!) I studied painting and film-making at art school in East London as a mature student after completing a one-year foundation course at Colchester Institute.

Following art school, I ended up focusing more on music production, but over the years, returned intermittently to painting and other forms of image making.

It remains the case that I divide my time between music and visual art.

Projects present themselves to me in an often haphazard way, and I have found that inspiration is not readily available on tap, but I generally know when something is up and have learned to seize the day and not worry during creatively quiet times. It’s a waiting game.

I make pictures primarily for my own pleasure and take inspiration from many, and varied sources – postcards, current affairs, pop culture, nature, the changing seasons, night-time pavements, urban landscapes, films, caravan parks, torn posters, the UK seaside and much, much more!

The inherent possibilities in developing narratives often leads me to produce multiple related pieces – I like variations on a theme and find the creation of series and collections very satisfying. There is no go-to medium for me – I often form images utilising mixed-media to explore the possibilities of picture making. I enjoy using paint from a tube, shiny hi-res tablets, scissors and glue, digital applications – tradition and technology co-exist happily for me.

It is only recently that I have sought to show my work publicly and have found the experience of exhibiting to be both thrilling and nerve wracking.’

Mark Benterman. (b.1971)

Mark was born and grew up in Bishop’s Stortford. He is married with two grown-up children. He attended Summercroft Primary School and The Bishop’s Stortford High School; he is a semi-professional artist with a day job in the construction industry.

His works are generally oil on board or canvas, mostly created on location (en plein air). The inspiration for Mark’s paintings comes from various sources including town and city scenes but also coastal views around East Anglia and Cornwall.

He studied art mostly beyond A-level, with guidance and teaching from members of the New English Art club and evening courses at the Royal Drawing School. His influences include Frank Bramley, Stanhope Forbes, Lara Knight, and Peter Brown. He would describe his painting style as modern impressionism.