Studio Evergreen

Generations of Watercolor
It is my pleasure to introduce & welcome you to Studio Evergreen!
 
I'm Ben Otten and for me, Watercolor is not just a hobby, it is my addiction.
I have been messing around with watercolor ever since I was a kid and my grandmother, Virginia R. Harris, used to tear off pieces of her watercolor sheet and hand them to me. And for the simple child, this was all painting was to me; watching her work and me trying to follow. Later down the road, these visual worlds and landscapes we created over and over again had become so innately engraved within me that once I was introduced to the world of Architecture, I knew I had found what I was looking for. Through Architecture I knew I could use these artistic skills passed down to me to concoct entire worlds that only existed in my mind until I put pen to paper. An idea... what a powerful substance! That's where I find solace, where the dream meets reality. Where now all of a sudden, that dream no longer has to stay in a fictional world but could now LIVE. I studied these philosophies thoroughly throughout undergrad & grad school and although drawing never left my side, somewhere along the way, watercolor seemed to slip to the wayside. Even as a kid I had never really given watercolor my full attention, and seemed to become too busy during my studies to keep up with the rigorous art form. It was soon after I graduated with a Masters in Architecture from UW-Milwaukee in the Spring of 2017 that I realized it was time to pick the brush back up and give watercolor my full, undivided attention. Since, I have been exploring and refining my own personal style from those I have learned from as well as everything I strove to achieve in school through Architecture. To this day, Architecture still remains the predominant subject of my paintings through the relentless search for micro-utopia moments. 

I now work at Johnson Design in downtown Oconomowoc, WI where we specialize in custom Architecture & Interiors. It's here that I help clients realize their dreams by day, and realize my own by night.

Cheers!
Ben
 
If you have a question, want to talk about my work or just say Hi,
please feel free to drop me a line anytime!