Ben Quinn
Painting the Unseen
A candid studio portrait of Ben Quinn surrounded by vibrant watercolor paintings and works in progress, capturing the artist experimenting with luminous colors, repeating geometric forms, and layered star motifs.
Introduction
Ben Quinn’s paintings explore the intersection of the supernatural, personal experience, and visual abstraction. Born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1991 and now based in Los Angeles, Quinn draws inspiration from spirituality, dreams, ancient civilizations, UFOs, and encounters with the unknown. His fascination with these subjects began during childhood, when he immersed himself in books about ghosts, unexplained phenomena, and otherworldly experiences. After earning a BFA from Columbus College of Art and Design in 2013 and an MFA from California College of the Arts in 2016, Quinn developed an unconventional approach to watercolor that transforms traditional techniques into immersive, large-scale compositions. Through hypnotic starbursts, layered colors, and enigmatic imagery, he creates paintings that feel like portals into unfamiliar dimensions, inviting viewers to explore the space between the tangible and the mysterious.
“The star for me is sort of the genesis of all things.”
Studio & Process
In his Los Angeles studio, Quinn begins with an ongoing process of gathering inspiration, connecting visual references, and translating personal experiences into images. Working primarily with watercolor, PVA, and UV varnish on canvas, he has developed a distinctive technique that challenges the traditional delicacy and impermanence of watercolor. The liquid medium allows colors to flow and interact, while PVA and varnish help preserve the finished surface. His process emphasizes repetition, gradual color transitions, and meticulously constructed forms that appear to vibrate or expand beyond the canvas.
Quinn’s recurring star motifs sit at the center of this practice, functioning as both recognizable symbols and abstract explorations of energy, time, and the unknown. His background in music, particularly his involvement in experimental sound and punk projects, also informs a practice that values rhythm, repetition, and immersive sensory experience.
“I like the idea of its impermanence until you choose to fix it.”
Feature Artwork: Split Star 2 (2025)
In Split Star 2 (2025), Quinn presents an expansive geometric composition built from repeating bands of color that form a pair of interconnected, star-like patterns. The layered arcs and shifting hues create a sense of movement, drawing the viewer’s eye across the canvas and toward the forms’ concentrated centers. Painted in watercolor and PVA on canvas and finished with UV varnish, the work combines the fluidity of watercolor with a carefully constructed, luminous surface.
The composition reflects Quinn’s ongoing fascination with the star as a symbol of origin, transformation, and otherworldly energy. Its repeating patterns create an almost optical effect, suggesting movement through space or the sensation of looking into a portal. The interplay of color and geometry transforms a familiar symbol into something more ambiguous, leaving viewers to consider whether they are looking at a celestial form, a visual illusion, or a map of an imagined universe.
What’s Next?
Quinn continues to expand his exploration of abstraction, spirituality, and the possibilities of unconventional painting materials. His ongoing Split Stars series develops his signature star motif through new configurations, color relationships, and scales. Alongside these works, his broader practice spans atmospheric night paintings, photographic imagery, sculpture, and sound, allowing him to move between distinct visual languages while maintaining an interest in the unseen and the subconscious. As his practice evolves, Quinn continues to investigate how painting can translate deeply personal experiences into images that feel at once intimate, enigmatic, and otherworldly.
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