Ben Hauck Biography

As a child, Ben Hauck spent his days in the wilderness of Louisiana. His love for the natural world led Ben to pursue a successful career as an environmental engineer for nearly a decade. Always trying new hobbies, he picked up his first brush at a Tucson Parks and Recreation class in the winter of 2002 and immediately discovered his true passion. Since then, he has sought instruction from many sources, including the Tucson Drawing Studio, Pima Community College, and the Scottsdale Artists’ School. Primarily self-taught, he has been blessed with the opportunity to study with wonderful artists such as Ken Auster, Will Bonner, Ron Hicks, David Slonim, Matt Smith, George Strickland, and Xiang Zhang. Inspired by his peers’ optimism, he made the artist’s leap of faith at the end of 2003 and left behind environmental engineering to pursue his art full-time. He entered his first juried competition in the April, 2004 TPAPS “Los Ranchos” show at El Presidio Gallery, for which his painting, Feedin’ Time, was awarded first place.

The artist with the greatest influence on Ben’s work is his father, who has instilled in him the importance of exploring the transcendent nature of the subject and being true to one’s self. Other influences include the Impressionists, the Post-Impressionists, the Symbolists, Sargent, Inness, Liljefors, Levitan, Sorolla, Zorn, Turner, and numerous modern era painters. For Ben, every subject matter is unique and requires the use of any and all techniques that are suitable for the particular painting. He chooses not to depict details, and instead uses the unique qualities of oil paint to evoke a sense of mystery and wonder in the viewer. Through his work he engages the audience in a dialogue that explores the relationships between the human race and its environment and to express the very essence of what it means for us to be interconnected as beings on this remarkable planet. In the end, he only hopes to have painted the good in everything.