From Sketch to Cafe: Ben Rodrigo

Ben Rodrigo loves loud, bright colors. If there was any doubt, just check out his artwork. Perhaps his coolest piece is painted on an 8-foot by 8-foot wall inside the Saxbys cafe at Temple University on Liacouras Walk — the culmination of 45 hours of hard work. It looks like an album cover for a band you didn’t realize you love.

In this interview, the 22-year-old visual studies major at Temple’s Tyler School of Art explains how art helped him find his true self — and he gave us some killer recommendations for artists we should check out.

How would you describe your aesthetic?

I love bright and bold colors. I try to find a balance between paintings and graphics. I’m also heavily inspired by psychedelic artwork.

What inspires you as an artist?

I draw from a lot of different inspirations. In a lot of ways, my work is self-reflective. Typically more tangible things that inspire me are album artwork, astrology, gender and sexuality, pop culture, and graphic art. A big driving reason I became an artist is to process pain and trauma. It’s always been very therapeutic for me, allowing me to focus my energy on something constructive. I’m also really inspired by queer people and queer culture. I’ve really grown into my queer identity over the past few year and making art has helped me with that.

What artists inspire you?

Oliver Hibert. He depicts an unconventional beauty and uses a lot of bold colors in a graphic style that’s pretty aesthetically driven. Also Robert Beatty, who is an illustrator and does great album art. His work is strange, fluidy shapes. It’s all trippy and psychedelic. Clayton Pond too. He does a lot of screen prints and paintings of spaces. He takes a lot of things in everyday life and translates it in a really unique way. For a classic artist, I’d say Henri Rousseau.

Were you pumped to take on the Saxbys mural?

I had never done something that big. It’s a terrific opportunity to do something cool in a big space people would be using all the time. It’s definitely a new experience having that kind of exposure. It made me expand my idea of what I’m capable of. I would definitely take on projects like this in future if opportunities became available. I like art in public spaces. Art is meant to be seen.