greg benz

canadian abstract landscape artist

Growing up on Lake Huron, Greg Benz was practically born with a camera in hand to capture its natural beauty.  His art teacher strongly encouraged him to pursue the art and to attend the reputable Beal Art School in London Ontario.  Today he captures these childhood memories on canvas and shares them worldwide.

People across London and Toronto and his “to be” wife first got to know “Benz” as he was referred to as their favourite dj. Music was and continues to be a big part of his life and his art.  Greg went on to record his own electronic music.  Somehow he wanted to express the beauty of our Canadian landscape with a voice and that’s when the brushes came out.

His collection. Monosymphony, is about a melody created by the wind blowing through the beautiful Canadian landscape of Lake Huron and Northern Ontario. as the trees take on different colours through the seasons and thus a symphony.

In the middle of the night, it is not unusual to see light shining from Greg’s studio.  Greg would tell you that is his most creative time – still enjoying the lifestyle of a dj.  His studio in London Ontario and cottage on Lake Rosalind in Bruce County are surrounded by trees that continue to provide music to his ears.

Working with non-traditional painting techniques – mixing acrylics and liquid polymers – his abstract landscapes are marked by textured surfaces so thick that the paint cracks creating an illusion of arid parts of the earth’s surface.

Greg’s work is available in galleries across Canada as well as Benz Gallery in London where he invites other artists to join him.

Gordon and I met Greg while exhibiting in Toronto.  We visited his studio in London and it became clear –  we had to bring the symphony to our gallery in Ottawa.

Phil Emond – Gallerist