Here Comes Toil & Trouble

If thoughts and dreams were photographed then Ben Patterson's works would be just that. Bizarre animals, graffiti birdhouses, and child-like characters are all posed in surreal settings. There is an innocence reflected in his works, yet an underlying sadness that sits upon them. Rendered in a high low style, polished yet simple at times, Patterson's art emphasizes the dream and the possibility of change. Many works seem to be on the verge of a tipping point, depicted at the peak of a transition where the viewer is left to decide which direction it will take. Patterson pushes this idea of the contradictory state, where there is no absolution of right or wrong, no definitive choice, but only a harmonious variation where both exist.