It is this profound conviction that leads him to his belief that all of us are artists. When a person looks at my work and says, 'I wish I could do that,' I quite honestly tell them they can. Their minds are beautifully open to the mystery of art, and they produce some of the best art I have seen. The big secret is that we all still have that capacity. We simply have shut down to the opportunity and are afraid to try to rediscover it.
Benjamin especially enjoys teaching workshops for kids.
Being outside the classroom atmosphere gives kids even more freedom. When they come to these sessions they come solely to paint. I've loved teaching classes to elderly folks. People at that time in their lives tend to become more like children in dropping their inhibitions and defenses and finding that childlike openness and spontaneity. If we had an artist laureate, and maybe we should, few people in the community would question the wisdom and aptness in Harry Benjamin's designation.