Ben (@justben) • Collective gay friends app

Ben @justben

Thoughtful arty type in South London. Practicing painting, kindness, piano, gratitude... Looking for creative, genuine people... my tribe.

Untitled, 2025 Wax/oil pastels on paper

This one I'm calling ‘Hekla’.🌋 2025, Wax/oil pastels on paper

Having a bit of a lull since my last 'big/serious' work but trying to find some joy by experimenting with new materials and ways of working. I will share recent works I've made using hybrid wax/oil crayons. It is freeing to work with speed like this, trying to keep everything loose and carefree. ♥️

Athens ♥️♥️♥️

Perhaps my favourite thing about English springtime - the woodland bluebell carpets. # Kew Gardens - don't miss it if you can get there soon.

Any Hoya lovers? This one is H.Carmelae. Delicate burgundy peduncles with a perfumed toffee scent and little syrup offerings for the polinators (tastes nice too 🫣)

Correa Backhauseana AKA Australian 'fuschia' ❤️ the little yellow bells, way classier than genuine fuschia imo.

Vatnajökul Acrylic on board, 2023 The second of my Iceland paintings. In my mind I was going to add a third, larger painting to complete the set but I never got around to deciding what the subject would be and now my style is too different and I'd have to try to emulate myself. IDK... 🤷🏻‍♂️

Fossálar Acrylic on board, 2023 One of two small paintings I made after my trip to Iceland in 2022. I suppose my work has become a lot more organic in the last three years and the edges have worn off the geometry that remains, but I enjoyed this style for landscape very much - I may revisit it.

An unexpected delivery, 2024 Watercolour media on paper A very raw painting from a dark place, but one that that has generated so many ideas for directions in which I could take my work. I’m always torn between the tight geometric works which appease my anxiety with neat [cont...]

You can run but you can’t hide, 2024 Watercolour media on paper

London sunset 1/2

All beneath the sun, 2024 Watercolours on paper

The Rift, 2024 Watercolour media on paper

Self portrait in red, blue and gold

Flux, 2024 Watercolour media on paper

From the Edvard Munch exhibition at the NPG. This is probably the most psychological of the works on show, and the only one that really made me feel anything. Munch is one of my all time favourites so I’m quite disappointed at the choice of works on show. Where’s the psychodrama?!

Under the skin, 2024 Watercolour media on paper

The other English breakfast. Tea with milk Crumpets; one marmite, one marmalade It’s a 10.

It hailed today in London but it’s all good 🙃

Maddening in action, 2024 Watercolour media on paper

Spring is coming

John Craxton, R.A. (1922-2009) Shepherds near Knossos, 1947 I love everything about this; the palette, the abstract textures in the rocks, the carefree Greek men and those goats nibbling the barren tree. It is just so evocative. Definitely a painting I’d have in my dream collection.

HYANGMOK BAIK (b.1990) Country Roads , 2025 Baik is a queer Korean artist, based in Seoul. I love his poetic naïf style with themes of loss of youth, masculinity, comradeship. If you’re in London he has a small solo show of new work at Beers Gallery in Farringdon.

Give me back those moments, 2024 Watercolour media on yupo paper A piece about loss and grief and guilt.

Beautiful day for a walk around Kew Gardens

... in the dead of night 2024 Watercolour media on yupo paper

Matters of mycology, 2024 Watercolour media on yupo paper

London in baby blue and pink ❤️

#Ultra fresh work Indulging in a very quick and dirty bit of figurative expressionism to test the colour palette. I think I love these pigments together, thoughts?

We are making a new world, 2023 Watercolour media on paper

Bruegel the Elder flexing - insanely good monochrome painting (grisaille) and surprisingly modern in its cinematic feeling. Reminds me of the monochrome scenes of Dune 2.

Insentient nature, 2024 Watercolour media on paper

Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum, 2024 Watercolour media and chrome acrylic on yupo paper. A mirror holds them At the heart of the maelstrom All the many ‘You’

The things you people wouldn't believe, 2024 Watercolour media on paper

Nocturne No.3, 2023 Watercolour media on paper

Had to move most of my plants into one room temporarily and... Might have a problem 🫣

I don't believe in an afterlife as such. But if there is one wouldn't it be nice if it was like this. Acme, Melbourne