Methvin Fine Art

Benjamin Scott Methvin born1957, Atlanta, Ga

Hi, thanks for stopping by. This site is in progress and will be updated soon. For now, there are several paintings you can see and get an idea of how I like to do things. I am an oil painter and really enjoy the process of building a painting. I make most of my own materials from scratch, including the paint, varnishes and the copper supports. I do use linen on larger sized paintings and those are stretched by hand, by me as well. Investing the time and energy into this kind of craftsmanship is reflected by my style of painting. The classic pigments I prefer to use have almost disapeared from the marketplace. I really have to make them myself if I want to use them. Pigments like vermillion and naples yellow have been replaced with synthetic substitutes under the same names. Lead white is also very difficult to find with any kind of quality. I also prefer top quality linseed oil that I process myself to make all the paint I use. Good pigment without the right oil is a waste of time.

Oil painting satisfies three of my many obsessions; art, history and science. There is so much history and science in oil painting. Sometimes it is like playing with a big chemistry set. Also the paint itself is fascinating. The way it behaves and dries and reacts with other colors is amazing. Many aspects of the physics of oil paint takes weeks to discover as the paint dries and is layered in various permutations.

Most of my subject matter is figurative. I like to make paintings with people in them. It can be very satisfying to paint a human being well. More so to me than most things. Portraits are especially challenging and one of my favorite things to paint. Many of my best portraits are not included in this site because I respect the privacy of my clients.

One of my original wine paintings is now in the collection of Chateau Margaux, in Bordeaux, France. (It is the one with the man with the wine barrels and the hammer.) Chateau Margaux is one of the very best wine estates in the world, so I am very proud to brag about it.

Please EMail me if you have any questions or want to talk about oil painting.
Navigate with the links above and I hope you enjoy the work.

Methvin Fine Art
790 North Coast Hwy
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
949 433-1783