Hi everyone! I am moving my website, to better showcase my portfolio and provide you with a more organized platform. Please change your bookmarks to www.patriciabenitez.com.

My feature in issue #12 of Catapult Magazine is out now! Click here to read the magazine. The spread looks great, I'm very pleased with it!

It's hard to believe that September is already around the corner, but a new month means all new events to attend. The Smithville Art Walk will be taking place on Saturday, September 8th at 615 E. Moss Mill Road, Smithville, NJ - 10 AM to 5PM. I will have a table, and will be available to meet and greet, chit chat, and of course talk "shop". I will have work for viewing and sale, as well as prints. Mark your calendars!

The 2nd Group Show at QXT's in Newark this past Friday was a great success. The turnout was out of this world. For photos of the show, click here. More to come soon!

Installation of 23 pieces for my second solo show at Ambience titled "The Second Coming" is complete! Stay tuned for reception dates and details.

Join us for an evening of dark delights! Curated by yours truly, this group show will showcase the work of myself and five other artists with a taste for the macabre.

Saturday, August 11 at 8 PM
LINDO LOUNGE
3603 Park Ave
Union City, NJ 07087

21 and older, $5 cover
RSVP here.

I will be showing new pieces from the Uncanny Valley series at the 2nd Group Exhibition at QXT's on Friday, July 27th. Myself and nine other artists will showcase our paintings, illustrations, and photography.

The venue is located at 248 Muberry Street, Newark, NJ, and will run from 10:00 pm until 1:00 am. Party goes on until 3 am! and have a drink, enjoy some industrial and EBM music, and dress in your best.

RSVP at the Facebook Event Page

My interview with the Hudson Reporter was released in print and online today, the link to the story is here.

Patricia Benitez has been interested in art ever since she was a child. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree Arts from New Jersey City University in 2010, where she specialized in painting and drawing. She also has an art teaching certification for grades K-12. Benitez is currently pursuing a graduate program to obtain a Master of Fine Art Degree.

“I remember sitting in front of family members and drawing their portraits for them,” she said. “I always loved to draw and paint, it came as a second nature. I loved to look at art, I loved to study it.”

Some of the innovators she idolizes are Leonardo da Vinci and Peter Paul Rubens. Her inspiration comes from the Great Master paintings, focusing primarily on the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Benitez is drawn to the “amazing” color and light.

“Hands down, the three artists that have helped me to develop into the artist that I am today are Ben Jones, Hugo Xavier Bastidas, and Gerardo Castro,” she said. “They are remarkable artists, who have shown their work all over the world. They each have very unique ways of working, and very unique ways of teaching.”

“I remember sitting in front of family members and drawing their portraits for them.” –Patricia Benitez

She said together they have helped her to excel in color theory and conceptual thought.

“Not only have they helped me to become a better artist in terms of technique, but also in terms of how I think about the art world as a whole. In order to find a niche, it’s been important for me to keep abreast of what’s contemporary, and keep up with the times. It’s very easy to get caught up in my own little world, so their constant reminders to look outside of myself have helped me immensely.”

Macabre, with a touch of surrealism

She has worked in oil painting, drawing, 2D mixed media, digital print, and sculpture. A few of her collection titles have an other-wordly tone: “Romance Void,” “The Blindness Series,” “Metamorphosis,” “Flesh and Bone” and “Body Landscapes.”

“Most of my works are indeed for sale,” said Benitez, “and vary in size from two inches to seven feet.”

Her digital prints can be priced anywhere from $25 apiece, and her larges scale oil paintings are priced at $1,000.

“I also do commissioned work, so I am always willing to negotiate prices and payment options with my clients.”

Benitez has exhibited her artwork since 2005. She has shown her work at New Jersey City University, Jersey City; The Paterson Art Walk; three consecutive yearly shows at Postcards from the Edge, New York City; Shades of Java, Jersey City; and most recently, Fetish Art Night in Union City.

Some of her solo shows have been “No Light Perception” in Jersey City and “Vitrified” in Edgewater.

She has also done commissioned mixed work for local bands, graphic designing logos, flyers and newspaper ads for e-commerce sites as well as individuals.

Her work has also been published in publications like The Taj Mahal Review (2006); WWAR Arts News (2009); The Gothic Times (2009); The Bergen News (2010); the book “Metamorphosis” (2006), and the upcoming collaborative book, “Anthologia de Poeta Incarcerare”.

“I try to display my artwork at a variety of venues,” said Benitez. “Currently, two of my pieces can be seen at Shades of Java in Jersey City. My next artwork showing will be at the Parralax Art Fair in Soho, this August, where I hope to debut a new series I am working on. There is no admission for either venue.”

Benitez is grateful to those who supported her throughout the years in all her ventures.

“I could not have gotten as far as I have now without the moral support of my loved ones and those who genuinely enjoy my work.”

Read more: Hudson Reporter - Local artist fuses media Patricia Benitez works in a variety of art forms

Thank you to everyone who made it out to Fetish Art Night, the turnout was great! Photos of the installation and event can be seen here.

My work will be featured at the event Scarlet Fetish Night

Friday, May 25
Starting at 7:00 PM
Lindo Lounge/Lounge 36
3603 Park Ave., Union City, NJ 07087

There is a $5 cover, must be 21 or older
View the Facebook Event Page and RSVP

Pieces from the "Romance Void" series will be making their exhibition debut at the Parralax Art Fair in SoHo this August. Stay tuned for further details on dates, times, and location!

Two pieces from the "Blindness Series" can be viewed at Shades of Java, in Jersey City, NJ. News on the upcoming group show and reception are pending. Stay tuned for details!

My artist page is now up and running on Facebook! If you enjoy my work, please like it and share here: Patricia Benitez Artist | Facebook

I have set up an artbreak account, which will allow buying of my work through a shopping cart system. If you are interested in buying a piece, check out my artbreak page here: Patricia Benitez Artbreak

Over 1,400 original, anonymously-displayed, postcard-sized artworks, each sold for $85. All sales first-come, first-served, artists’ names revealed only after purchase. $5 suggested admission.

Artists include: Patricia Benitez, John Baldessari, Ross Bleckner, Louise Fishman, Ann Hamilton, Mary Heilmann, Jeff Koons, Glenn Ligon, Marilyn Minter, Yoko Ono, David Reed, John Waters and many, many more.


"The Metamorphosis", created exclusively for "Postcards from the Edge"

Visual AIDS utilizes art to fight AIDS by provoking dialogue, supporting HIV+ artists, and preserving the legacy -- because AIDS IS NOT OVER! For more information on dates and location, click here.

The opening reception for Vitrified was held at Ambience on Thursday, October 14. The Bergen News conducted an interview, and published a blurb about the show on October 20:

"Local artist Patricia Benitez opened an art show at Ambience at 22 City Place, Edgewater, on Thursday, oct. 14. The show is part of a continuing series of exhibitions at the Ambience boutique showcasing local women artists. Ms Benitez' show is titled Vitrified, featuring 40 of her original paintings, drawings and digital prints. Ambience co-owners Grace Guido and Dorothy Regan feel that the beauty of Ms. Benitez' work compliments the clothing selection offered by the boutique."

Vitrified: Artwork by Patricia Benitez

Extended Stay solo exhibition, showcasing thirty of my pieces. Paintings, drawings, and digital prints will be residing at Ambience, the best of Soho in New Jersey.

Opening reception on Thursday, October 14, 6PM - 8 PM.

Location:
Ambience
22 City Place
Edgewater, NJ 07020

Contact: pbenitezart@gmail.com

I will be showing five of my most recent paintings from the Blindness series at the Paterson Art Walk on May 30. The event begins at 10:00 AM and ends at 10:00 PM on the same day.

My showing location is:
New Jersey Community Development Corporation building
32 Spruce Street
Paterson, NJ
07501

For more information, directions, and a full list of participating artists, visit the Paterson Art Walk website.

New, large scale paintings from the Blindness series can be seen in the upcoming gallery show, "No Light Perception", at the NJCU Visual Arts Building Gallery on March 23, 2009.