Honoring the Artist: Fred Bender
I wanted to imagine this week’s cover artist, Fred
Bender, in his natural environment, enjoying a warm spring day in the
place where he grew up – South Jamesport on the North Shore. However,
he was visiting his daughter and grandchildren in Las Vegas, of all
places. Talk about contrasts. The following phone conversation shows
that Mr. Bender is never too far from his North Fork roots, no matter
where he may be.
Q: Is it true that South Jamesport will always be home, although you
and your wife, Alice, have lived in Wading River for 30 years?
A: South Jamesport will always feel like home to us – it has so
much history. The original builder of South Jamesport envisioned it
as a whaling port, probably in the 1820s. Did you know that Jamesport
was a planned community before the Civil War? Alice and I lived in a
house that was built in the 1830s and I worked on my uncle’s farm
there.
Q: What attracted you to the historical aspect of South Jamesport?
A: I collect old postcards – I go through them every so often.
Some photographs I can look at for 10-15 years. Then I make a painting
of one of them. My historical interest in this area has led to a project
I’m working on with historian Richard Wines. I’ll build
a scale model of how the area once looked and go from there.
Q: Did your former profession have anything to do with history?
A: No, I was an Economical Developmental Specialist for Suffolk County
for many years. I assisted companies in getting government contracts
and promoted their products.
Q: Can you be more specific?
A: For example, I went to Milan, taking some regional products to show
the people there. I remember a cosmetic company we promoted, although
the company head didn’t think we would be successful. But two
years later, he was in Milan negotiating with manufacturers there. We
also went to Russia as a goodwill gesture, promoting SUNY-Farmingdale
to its sister institution in the Baltics.
Q: What did that trip mean to you, personally?
A: My grandparents came from Eastern Europe – Northern Poland.
And the Baltics looked like the farmland of Long Island.
Q: Any personal stories about Milan?
A: Yes. We were in a cab and were talking about DeVinci and “The
Last Supper.” The driver, who couldn’t speak English, kept
repeating, “DeVinci, DeVinci.” He suddenly turned around
in the middle of the street and drove to a chapel. He insisted we get
out and pointed to a door. We went in although we were the only people
there. Inside they were working on “The Last Supper,” restoring
it. I will never forget that.
Q: Jumping to another extreme, you also like to do landscapes and waterscapes,
like this week’s cover, “Orient Light.” What does
that mean to you??A: I did the cover from a photograph I had taken when
I was on the ferry going to Connecticut. I’m also painting scenes
of the Peconic Bay. I paint because I love it - it’s not work
for me.
Q: Do you encourage other people to paint?
A: Yes, I tell them it’s never too late to start. My sister, Maggie,
never painted in her life, but she started to paint landscapes and seascapes
a year ago.
Q: What advice do you give people about painting, other than they should
do it?
A: I tell them to paint from the heart.
– Marion Wolberg Weiss
Mr. Bender’s works can be viewed at his website, www.fredbender.com
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