BEN & bennie
By Keith Platt Photos Yanni & Supplied
B
en Ross may have failed to impress with the results of first online freelance graphic artist job that he won, but it did give him an idea. The idea, a whimsical cartoon version of himself, an alter-ego he called Bennie, grew into something much larger while Ross went on a surfing trip to Mexico. On returning to the Mornington Peninsula, the former carpenter who had also embarked on a few other business ventures (including a surf brand company with his brother), decided on a graphics-led future. With brush in hand, he (and Bennie) have been making waves of their own, including a sellout exhibition in Tokyo they couldn’t attend because of the coronavirus restrictions.
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26 | PENINSULA
Here Ben Ross speaks with Keith Platt shortly after completing a more than four metre high mural at a Dromana rum distillery: continued next page... May 2021