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THIS WEBSITE IS ABOUT 'MIRROR ART' CREATED BY MARYLAND ARTIST BOB BENSON. BOB HAS BEEN WORKING WITH MIRRORS SINCE 2004 AND HAS CREATED MANY 'ARTWORKS' FROM MIRRORS. FOR BIO INFO ON BOB, CLICK HERE. BOB'S NEIGHBOR, RICK AMES, IS A SUPERB ARTIST WORKING PRIMARIY IN METAL AND SCULPTURE. YOU CAN SEE BIO INFORMATION ON RICK BY CLICKING HERE. RICK AND BOB COLLABORATED ON TWO MAJOR PROJECTS FOR THE AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM: THE TREE (S), AND THE POND UNDER ICARUS. FOR MORE INFORMATIONP/PICTURES CLICK ON THE NAMES BELOW.

WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS. WRITE: trebor3636@verizon.net

HERE ARE BASIC STYLES OF 'MIRROR ART'
FOR MORE PICTURES, CLICK ON THE NAMES.




THE FLATULENCE EXHIBIT

This unique exhibit is devoted to the history of the appreciation of Flatulence. It was created in xxxx and features stories, articles, facts, ophotographs and grtaophic art related to the subject. A highloight is a collection of mirror-art images offarts, and the centerpiece is The Magic Flatulence Post which has stored all of the winning contest entries in a Farting Competition. Every time a visitor opushes the button, one hears one of the winning contest entries—and there are more than 60 different onces. Visitors are invited to take pictures/videos of the Exhibit andk use them as they wish. You can see a video about this exhibity on YouTube: "visionary farts".When you visit AVAM, you must experience this Exhibit! Here;s a picture:



THE BEEHIVE AT THE ROYAL SONESTA HOTEL

In 2012 The International Harbor Court Hotel in the Inner Harbor commissioned Bob and Rick Ames to create a large mirror art beehive. This would be placed in the beautiful garden plaza on the third floor roof of the Hotel, to complerment a real beehive. The finished work, which took three months to create, is about five feet high and five feer wide. It has a strong plastic/metal frame which is covered with thousabds of pieces of colored nurrir. It is not a real beehuve. Countless mirror "bees" fly over the mirror beehive. Real bees fly rught throughout the city and bring nectar to the adjoining real beehive.Guests at the Hotel can enjoy this large outside mirror art piece. Over the years, the original mirror art be4hive deteriorated, and the Hotel, now the Royal Sonesta, commissioned extensive renovations in July/August 2018. Thousands of new pieces were added by the Shiny Happy Things team of Bob Bnson Rick Ames and Eileen Gillian. Here is a picture of he original beehive:

 

THE MAGIC INFINITY MIRROR HOUSE

D.C.'s Hirschhorn Museum in 2017 had an exhibit if work of the visionary Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama featuring some of her amazing Infinity Mirror Rooms. These so impressed the Shiny Happy Things team (myself, Rick Ames, Eileen Gilligan) that we decided to create our own. For zoniung reasons, the only place it could be built was behind my Glen Burnie home (unfortunate decision by the A. A County Zoning Commission!). It is 8 x 10 ft and about 9 ft. high; The entire inside, walls, ceiling and floor, is covered with mirrors. Anything inside will be reflected and re-reflected many times. It is most unusual, to say the least, and we often place different art pieces inside it. Here is a picture of one view. Those interested in experiencing this should e-mal: trebor3636@verizon.net.
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OSCILLA
Oscilla (plural of "oscillum") are round disks from 6 to 12 inches in diameter (they also can be larger). The Greeks and Romans often hung them in their courtyards and vineyards to bring them good luck and a good harvest. Often there was a picture of Bacchus on one side. None of Benson's have Bacchus, but there often are faces of a Mexican or Axtec character - or sometimes none at all - just brilliant colors in varied designs, which you can see by clicking on the name. These are meant to be outdoors, but also make a distinctive decoration inside your home.
INFINITY MIRROR PROJECTS
An exciting way to work with mirrors is to use the special "one way mirrors" along with regular mirrors. This can produce spectacular results. The "Magic Mirror Boxes" should be used inside, and can be on a table or mounted on a wall. For more, with pictures, click on "Infinity Mirror Projects" above.


FLOWER / BUD VASES
Never being able to find an appropriate vase to hold flowers or single blossoms, Bob made them out of mirrors. They are water-proof, will never tip over, and surely complement the flowers. YUu can design your own.

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JEWELRY
This "jewelry" is made of brilliantly-colored mirrors usually in the form of a pendant.You can design your own easily.


MIRROR CREATURES
These are round or square plaques up to ten inches across and represent "creatures" — including Maryland crabs, butterflies, various fish and many odd creatures yet to be identified.


MIRROR NECKTIES (!!!)

That's right! Neckties made from mirrors, both regular neckties and bow ties. These ties make the ultimate fashion statement, particularly in the sun! The mirrors are attached to flexible vinyl templates and are not very heavy. They are worn with either a velcro strap or a leather band that can be tied in the back, adjustable to each wearer.


THE MIRROR TREE AT AVAM

The Mirror Tree in front of the main entrance of AVAM has quite a history. Originally AVAM wished to have a live tree in that location decorated with mirrors, which was done successfully; however, the tree was in poor health and eventually died. Benson and Ames had created a mirror tree for Benson's front yard in Glen Burnie. The Tree was designed and installed with the expertise of my neighbor, Rick Ames, a superb artist working primarily in metal and sculpture (check out his BIO). The completed tree was mounted in Benson's yard. Then it was decided to move it to AVAM. It was necessary to create a 6 ft. high "trunk" under the tree for liability purposes, so the tree rests on that decorated trunk. The Tree is covered with hundreds of strands of double mirrors. As of 2017, it has been there for eleven winters, and seems to be remarkably weatherproof! AVAM has called it The Universal Tree of Life, as a tree represents everything good in life: family, health, happiness and good health. The Tree has been photographed thousands of times and appeared often on magazine covers and printed articles. For pictures of the TREE, click HERE.

 


THE ICARUS REFLECTING OCEAN AT AVAM

Late in the summer of 2005, AVAM acquired a magnificent large statue of Icarus created by British artist Andrew Logan , made from mirrors and stained glass. This statue hangs in the center hallway of AVAM’s main building, mounted so that it very slowly turns as it moves up and down, at the highest point being near the AVAM ceiling, lowest point about eight feet above the floor. AVAM requested the team of Benson/Ames to make a “reflecting pond” of mirrors below Icarus, and the result was OCEANUS, the name given to the mirror creation which smbolically represents the ocean into which Icarus fell. The Pond is about 17 feet long and six feet across at the widest point. It is made of thousands of pieces of mirror, each individually cut and formed into various shapes. The vertical six inch high ring around the entire pond, made from strands of half-inch double quarter-inch mirrors, contains more than 6,000 pieces. Since initial installation in September 2005, the pond has been elaborated considerably. Here are some pictures of THE POND including much of the detail elements.

Now, something NEW! Icarus now has The Sun to fly to!
The Sun is 5 ft. in diameter and made from thousands of pieces of colored mirror primarily in red, gold and silver. It is sturdily constructed, made from one sheet each of regular plastic and 1/4 inch plexiglass, with stainless steel mounting hooks. It was built in May 2009, and here is a picture of it in Benson's home awaiting pickup by the AVAM crew:

WORKSHOPS

Workshops are given at the American Visionary Art Museum . For information about these, contact AVAM: 410 244-1900. The next workshop will be Sturday, Oct.. 13, 2018. Workshops are also given in Bob's studio in his home in Glen Burnie. Classes in Glen Burnie are limited to 10 participants; there must be at least four "students." They can be scheduled at mutual convenience. For information, write: trebor3636@verizon.net or call 410 761-2451.

FOR PICTURES OF WORKSHOPS click HERE

JOE BENSON'S MAGIC BASEBALL
For information about this, click HERE

GRAPEVINE DRIFTWOOD MIRROR 'TREES'

These are made from grapevine treated driftwood, or from branches taken from bushes, mounted on a mirror and decorated with mirror "leaves."

THE "TREE VINE"
originally made to be used as a "vine," now a "tree" mounted on a wall in Benson's studio.

THE BISHOP'S RING

In honor of Archbishop Desmond Tutu's visit to the American Visionary Art Museum January 21, 2006 at AVAM's Tenth Anniversary Celebration, Bob designed and made a mirrored symbolic rendition of a Bishop's Ring to present to Archbishop Tutu. The Ring was made from 1/4" inch mirror, and is about 4 1/2 inches wide.


MIRROR CITIES

These "cities" are made from paired pieces of quarter-inch mirrors glued together.
They are visionary "cities" that make a great show in bright light.
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