Meet the Artist: An Interview with Ben McCaffery

We will be posting a series of conversations with some of the creatives from the Red Room and also the volunteers who make it possible to make our events happen.

Leah List in conversation with Ben McCaffrey, artist and creator of ‘Betsy’, the Red Room bar.

How might you describe your art?

I wouldn’t. I don’t mind when other people do, but I always feel resistant to voicing some fleeting intention or aim that I may have entertained but which may not now even apply to the finished piece. Most of the process is intuitive and it passes without being willful or having some internal dialogue. I try and work on something until I’m pleased with it and then, if it’s any good it will resonate – describe and present itself suitably. The work itself is the intended expression and it shouldn’t need more.

What inspires you to create it?

Curiosity.

A distinctive part of your art is the materials used to create it. Others have described you as an avid upcycler. What drew you to upcycling?

I’m actually more of a finder. There are so many items to be found. I tend to be drawn to discarded or abandoned objects – you can find them on the beach, the roadside, in second-hand shops, all over the place – and when lucky or awake you may stumble across some this or that that you like that has some quality you admire, and nobody has taken charge of loving it or putting it to use. So, then it’s your obligation to preserve this treasure that may otherwise go unappreciated. It doesn’t have to have universal value, the connection will be personal. And I will keep it for a while trying to figure out where it best belongs. Some objects are perfect as they are, like a chair or a glass bottle for example, and some may have no purpose at all other than being liked by me, but usually anything found and picked up will present itself as a timely solution to some puzzle down the line, and find its way out of the studio. I like to keep the inventory liquid and manageable.

Some of your art, like Betsy bar and Brutus Campbell shelf is more architectural and also serves very utilitarian purpose. How is the process for creating these pieces different from creating your visual art, if at all? Are there any architectural elements, beyond upcycling, that you feel are distinctive in your art?

I like ‘Brutus Campbell’ as a name for the shelf. And, Betsy Campbell, the bar girl makes me laugh. Thinking about it now, one difference in process between making furniture and painting may be that when painting I would never think about how tall the average viewer would be or what composition would be easier on the viewer’s eye movement. In painting, it seems there is no artist concern for the viewer’s physical needs. I better get on it.

Betsy Bar was created at Red Room’s request. Do you often make pieces for clients this way?

Yes, most of my work now is by commission.

Would you tell us a bit about some of your favorite art pieces you’ve created?

Picture 1 and Picture 2: I like it because of its independent and androgynous nature. Oh yeah, and I like red and green.*
Picture 3: Lady and chair. I’ve kept this painting for myself. It is from 1991. The attraction to it is simple for me but I won’t explain, see number 1.

It has been mentioned that you’ve often chosen to live in shipping containers out of pure preference. What about that lifestyle appeals to you?

Small inside, big outside.

Are there any questions you wish people would ask you about your art, or about you?

Any question suits me fine. “Would you like some more pie?” is a pretty great question.

What do you hope your art will achieve?

I hope that it complements whatever is good in the viewer.

*Ben McCaffery is accepting offers for the first piece and is available for commissions. wildben@gmail.com