Ben Brummerhop has spent three decades finding novel ways to forge beauty out of chaos. Although his abstract paintings hang in more and more prominent exhibitions with each passing year, simple concepts like color, shape and motion still guide his creative process. It starts with something much more personal, though. Hidden beneath textured layers of acrylic on each canvas are relics of Ben’s lifelong search for meaning — literally, in fact, as he doesn’t paint a single stroke until he scrawls a few cathartic words on the taut fabric. It is this deep involvement in his process that earns national tours for collections like “A New Use For Syringes” and lands his pieces in showings such as Art Basel and SWISSARTEXPO. More importantly — to Ben, at least — it seals rare, lifelong bonds with clients and collaborators. Ben has heard time and time again that he provides a safe space for the people lucky enough to get swept up in his vibrant world of sensory expression. He never tires of hearing it. Each connection inspires him to bare more of who he is, and in turn, it furthers his own self-discovery. What he does runs deeper than splashes of paint on a canvas. It nonetheless reflects loudly and clearly in each and every one of his works.