Central alumnus Benjamin Shamback graduated from the university in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in illustration. He returns this fall to exhibit his paintings; once a Blue Devil, always a Blue Devil.

Starting on Oct. 17, Central’s Art Gallery will host a gallery of Shamback’s paintings.

Since graduating from Central, Shamback has won many awards for his artwork. In 2003, he won the Faber Birren Color Award in 2003. In addition to that, he also won a Gold Medal of Honor for Oil Painting from the Allied Artists of America in 2004. His artwork has been featured in over 150 competitions throughout the United States, both national and regional. Shamback’s art is also included in private collections throughout the United States & Canada.

The show in Central’s Art Gallery will feature several of Shamback’s pieces, which were all created with oil paint on a copper surface. Some of the pieces date back to when he graduated from Central.

“The work in the show is a summary of what I’ve been up to since 1996,” Shamback said. “There are consistencies throughout the work that I hope unify it, and there is chronological and technical growth.”

Since Shamback is a graduate of Central, he recounted how getting his bachelor’s degree here helped him in his art career.

“The classes I took with Rachel Siporin, Mark Strathy and Dr. Elizabeth Langhorne exposed me to the materials, art and artists that helped me find a basis for understanding my own interests,” Shamback said. “We don’t get to choose the things that really engage us but we do have to make a conscious effort to pursue them.”

Artists that Shamback admires include Fantin LaTour, Jean Simeon Chardin and Maxfield Parrish.

When it comes to his own paintings, Shamback enjoys doing paintings of paper the most.

“My favorite subject to paint is paper,” Shamback said. “I don’t paint it often because as a subject it is so difficult to integrate with other subjects in a unique way. The show has two examples of gratuitous inclusion of paper into contexts that really don’t support it. They are my favorite paintings from the past few years and are probably the best examples in the show of the direction my work is headed.”

Since oil is one of the only mediums for painting that interests him, Shamback mostly does oil paintings on copper.

“All the paintings I admire and want to emulate are oil paintings,” Shamback said. “No other material in the visual arts compares to its sheer beauty, potential or its absurd difficulty.”

An interesting tidbit about Shamback’s artwork is that he makes all of his frames himself out of wood. This not only cuts down costs on frames, but it helps him display his artwork in the way he wants.

“I float the paintings to show all of the surface and to highlight the fact that it’s on copper,” Shamback said.

When asked which piece in his upcoming showcase means the most to him, Shamback responded with a somewhat philosophical answer.

“There are two kinds of meaning in painting,” Shamback said. “The first is the meaning communicated to the viewer, and the second is the meaning that helps the artist make the work. They are rarely the same thing. I’d have to say that the two paintings in the show featuring raw chicken wings are significant to me for reasons that the viewer need not know about, but I hope the enthusiasm and care put into their creation translate into visually and aesthetically rich paintings.”

Once his exhibit is showcased, Shamback hopes that his paintings, “remind viewers that an honest aesthetic experience doesn’t need to be explained.”

An opening reception for Shamback’s show will be held on the evening of Oct. 17, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Art Gallery (on the second floor of Maloney Hall). Refreshments will be provided, and all Central students, faculty and guests are welcome to attend.