Ben Kendall – Norfolk Artist (Image supplied)

Press Release

From lockdown hobby to the gallery wall – Norfolk artist Ben Kendall to host debut solo exhibition

“A Norfolk artist who rediscovered his love of painting during the Covid-19 lockdowns is preparing to host his debut solo exhibition. It promises to bring you the East Anglian landscape as you’ve never seen it before.

Father-of-two Ben Kendall, 44, from Sprowston, has painted landscapes since a young age. But he was put off pursuing art as a career as he did not enjoy the formal structure of art at school – eventually scraping a grade D at GCSE art.

Since then he occasionally dabbled with sketching but struggled to find time alongside a full-time job and bringing up two young children.

But he moved from hobbyist to professional artist during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following a severe bout with COVID-19 which saw him hospitalised and suffering from long Covid, he reassessed his life priorities. The slowing pace of life during the pandemic allowed him to devote more time to his passion , ultimately leading him to establish his own studio in Norwich two years ago.

He now exhibits in galleries across East Anglia, was shortlisted for the Sir John Hurt Art Prize in 2023 and will host his debut show at Anteros Art Foundation, located on Fye Bridge Street in Norwich, next month.

Ben, who still works as a TV producer alongside his art business, said: “At first I started painting again to cope with a really difficult period in my life. Gradually I found myself developing a distinctive style which others seemed to enjoy.

“I began my participating in small open call exhibitions alongside other artists. Since then it has grown into a small business with a steady flow of sales.

“Mainly it’s still a passion for me. I love the idea that people enjoy my work enough to display it in their home and it feels like a real privilege every time somebody makes that investment in my art.

“I now have what I consider my best collection of work to date, mainly made up of coastal landscapes inspired by Norfolk and East Anglia. I’m really excited to bring my solo show to Norwich, charting my journey in art.”

Ben’s distinctive style is colourful and semi-abstract – he says this is the only way he knows how to paint.

“I’m colour blind and have a limited attention span, so tend to work quickly and spontaneously with an eclectic palette choice,” he said.

“I don’t want my paintings look like the world as it is, instead I want the world to look like my paintings.

“I try to capture landscapes as full of energy and as ever changing entities rather than static locations. That seems to capture people’s imaginations in a way they can relate to.”

Walk to Wells by Ben Kendall

Ben’s solo show – called The Way I See It – takes place from July 2 to July 18 at the Anteros Art Foundation, located on Fye Bridge Street in Norwich. An open view will be held on July 4 from 6 PM to 8 PM – anyone is welcome to attend.

You can find out more about Ben and his work at benpaintslandscapes.com.

Exhibition Details:

• Dates: July 2 – July 18
• Location: Anteros Art Foundation, Fye Bridge Street, Norwich”