Nanaimo, BC

For nearly 30 years, Ben taught school here in the Kootenays. Retiring to Nanaimo, he began to get serious about his art, ultimately enrolling in Vancouver Island University’s Visual Arts program. He exhibited a similar sculpture as part of the city’s Temporary Public Art Program while still a student – a first.

Big and bold describes Everything Happens well. Four quadrants of acrylic – yellow, black, blue and red – are mounted in an aluminum framework with identical geometric patterns. The diagonally opposite quadrants have reversed patterns, while at the centre sits a small open square, combining geometry and meaning delightfully.