Cory Benhatzel interview - 2010

Name: Cory Benhatzel
Place of Birth: Amherst, New York, USA (Upstate New York)
 

Black Cat aka Didi: When and how did you first become interested in art? How long have you been painting?
Cory Benhatzel: I’ve been interested in art as long as I can remember. I was always drawing both at home and at school. As a child, other kids in my class would ask me to draw them cats or dogs or mermaids. It always made me feel really special, and I always knew that I wanted to be an artist. I’ve been painting with watercolors since I was little, and acrylics since high school, but I still feel like I have a lot to learn. For the longest time I assumed that I knew it all, but then realized that I knew nothing, and sought out how to improve my skills. Of course I still have a lot to learn, but I’m glad that I finally gained enough humility to see that I could progress.

B.C.: Why do you make art? And whom do you make it for? Answer as completely as possible.
C.B.: I compulsively make art. It’s really the only thing I’m good at. It’s always been incredibly important to get the ideas in my head out and I try to make the pieces as close as I possibly can to what I see in my mind.
I make art for myself. When people like my work it’s an added bonus, and it’s incredibly exciting. It’s amazing to me that people I don’t even know can like these incredibly personal visions I create. It’s so great to be able to relate to people visually through my work in a way I couldn’t within only the confines of speech.

B.C.: What is your biggest challenge personally as it pertains to making your work?

C.B.: The biggest challenge I have when it comes to making art is simply having enough time to produce it. I always want to paint more and do more research and marketing and stuff, but it’s crazy how time can get away from me.
There never seems to be enough time!

B.C.: Often in your paintings we can see a relationship between different kind of animals and skulls, can you tell us the meaning of this choice?...and what about the symbolic meaning of your paintings?

C.B.: This has to do with the relationship between life and death; how death is a natural and inevitable part of life and that it’s important to keep that in mind. Not in a depressing way, but in an appreciative way. I’m a lover of life above all else but at the same time I think that images of death can sometimes be very beautiful. I think that being able to look death in the face can sometimes make us feel more alive.
The symbolism in the paintings varies from piece to piece, but I always strive to create a deeper layer of meaning beyond what you immediately see. Like for instance, the flowers in each painting are specifically chosen for their meanings in regards to Floriography, which is the Victorian era means of communication through flowers. In that era people could not express many of their feelings aloud so they sent each other flower arrangements that communicated specific, secret messages. I use this language in my paintings as a form of symbolism which adds to the meaning of the piece. It’s similar to my personality; there are layers I don’t want people to see easily and many of my true feelings and beliefs are hidden. If you know what to look for, however veiled the hints are, you’ll begin to understand me. (Of course as an artist, I like to think of myself as a deep ocean of thought. Ha ha ha .)

B.C.: When did you first discover your dark side? How? ..and in which way do you express your dark side?

C.B.: I’ve always loved darker things since I was a kid; my dad grew up loving horror movies, so he taught me all about the classic films and actors like Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price.
I remember being in first grade and also loving “Beetlejuice”; and wanting to have a long, pointy, striped, grotesque tongue like him so badly. Around age eight or nine, a teacher asked who our favorite actors were. My friend had said, “The Olsen Twins”. I replied that mine was the star of my favorites, “The Addams Family” and “The Witches”; “Angelica Huston”.
Obviously I express my dark side through my paintings; but I feel that darkness is most elegantly portrayed when it is with light. I want my paintings’ darkness and brutality to be equally balanced with beauty and light. I have a similar taste when it comes to music, which is one of my primary influences. I love Metal that is both brutal and melodic.

B.C.: What are your limits in your expression of the dark side?

C.B.: I would never paint a subject that I don’t believe in; rape, cruelty to animals, etc. Also, I think Christian imagery is very off-putting. Like, pictures of Jesus Christ. I won’t ever be painting any of these subjects.

B.C.: What are the most fascinating and fun projects you have worked on?

C.B.: To be honest, every painting and project I work on is fascinating and fun, otherwise I wouldn’t do them! I love getting the challenge of being in themed shows, and I also love doing pieces where the idea comes first from somewhere inside my brain. I feel like I’ve got a million possibilities ahead of me, I’m excited to see where my work will take me next!

B.C.: Given the option of placing a work of art (for the same selling price! ahahah) in either: A) a happy home of an anonymous collector to be seen only by that collector and their family and friends; B) a public institution (such as a museum) where it would be mothballed for over 90% of its existence; or C) in a high traffic non-art location where it is permanently on display (such as a corporate lobby), which would you choose and why?

B.C.: Which are your plans for the future?

C.B.: My plans are to continue to evolve my skills and ideas, to branch out to more galleries and hopefully get more people to see my work. I plan on enjoying my life even more with the ones I love and continue on this journey that I started as a kid.

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