Chris Benavides

A Cleveland native, Chris Benavides is enthusiastically pursuing his second creative career as a representational painter.
Chris loves painting people and images that inspire and point to the beauty of creation.
He works in oil primarily in the direct method, or wet into wet.
Chris strives to be an all-around painter, but his main focus has been on painting the figure and portrait.
Chris graduated from the Cooper School of Art in Cleveland, and at 20 was hired as a designer and illustrator with American Greetings
and enjoyed a long career there before leaving to pursue his own artistic goals.
He is an associate member of the Oil Painters of America, and the Portrait Society of America,
and his paintings have been juried into several local and national exhibitions.
Chris also accepts private commissions.
He currently lives in Avon Lake, Ohio with his wife Tina
and may be contacted at benavidesfineart@gmail.com
Website: chrisbenavidesfineart.com

Upcoming Workshops

Suggested Supply List

Colors Required

  • Titanium white
  • Alizarin Crimson Permanent (any brand) or Rose Madder deep (Rembrandt)
  • Cadmium Red Middle
  • Cadmium Orange
  • Cadmium Lemon Yellow
  • Prussian Blue
  • Raw Sienna
  • Transparent oxide Red (Rembrandt)
  • Transparent Oxide Brown (Rembrandt)
  • Ivory Black
  • Raw Umber

    • Additional Optional Colors

  • Cadmium Yellow Light
  • Cadmium Red Light
  • Ultramarine blue (deep or French, to replace Prussian blue)
  • Mauve Blue Shade
  • Viridian
  • Yellow ochre

    • Media (your choice)

    Stretched Canvas

  • You will need 3, one for each session. Any brand. Oil-primed is better than acrylic-primed and linen is better than cotton but if budget is a real consideration go with what your budget allows. See sizes indicated below.

    • Panels

  • You will need 3, one for each session.
    Anything from 11 x 14 to 14 x 18.
    For Alla Prima portraits I usually paint at 12 x 16 but these other sizes listed are fine as well. Any brand of panel will be fine but oil-primed (my recommendation) is better than acrylic-primed. Lead primed is best (or so I’ve heard), but they are difficult to find. Linen panels are preferable to cotton, but please feel free to use cotton if that is what your budget will allow.

    • Linen or Cotton Canvas Pads

  • These are a great alternative to a panel. For the most part we will be working with a limited time and on a medium-sized scale. I recommend the Centurion oil primed pads in an 11x14, 12x16 or larger size. They’re high quality, lightweight and inexpensive and can be found at Jerry’s Artarama and/or ASW.
  • If you choose to use these or other pads you will need to bring a thin, lightweight plywood, acrylic, or masonite board to tape them to. I have a 1/4th inch thick acrylic panel with cardboard taped to the backside so that light won’t shine through that I tape my canvas paper to. Just measure off the size at which you will be painting, lightly in pencil and mask it off using Frog tape™ (found at Lowes, Home Depot, or most hardware stores). This peels off much easier and more cleanly than regular masking tape. Then tape the Canvas paper to your board.

    • Solvents

  • Gamsol, Turpenoid, or other artist grade for cleaning brushes. No turpentine, please!

    • Medium

  • Student’s choice. I personally use a mixture, which is 1 part stand oil, 1 part Damar varnish, and 5 parts turpenoid. For this mixture you must either use rectified turpentine or Turpenoid. I use Turpenoid because it doesn’t have the heavy odor of turpentine. Also for this mixture you cannot use Gamsol because it will not cut or dissolve the Damar. I also like Gamblin Galkyd lite, and Liquin is also acceptable, but if you have a favorite that you like please bring that.

    • Brushes

  • Hog bristle or synthetic- two of each size 2 thru 12 (even numbers) filbert or flat. Also, A few soft bristle brushes in assorted sizes (sable, mongoose or badger hair). I prefer the Rosemary Master Series (I use all sizes and shapes).

    • Palette knives

  • 1-3 assorted sizes.

    • Brush Cleaner

  • Bring a portable size brush cleaner to hold your mineral spirits. Please, no baby food jars.

    • Paper towels

  • At least one roll.

    • Plastic Grocery Bag

  • To discard your used paper towels.

    • Easel

  • Cliffside Artists Collaborative provides easels and tables for setting palettes. Please email the CAC to reserve an easel.

    • Palette

  • Glass, wood, or plastic (please, no paper palettes). Masterson makes a nice, airtight box which is good for transporting palettes and it keeps paints usable longer.