Beyond the Brush: The Art of Rikki Benenfeld

Boro Park artist and illustrator Rikki Benenfeld has been creating uniquely inspiring art that brings together scenes of nature, humanity, and Yiddishkeit through the strokes of the brush. She shared glimpses into her artistic journey with Boropark24.com 

Ever since she began toying creatively with anything she could get her hands on as far back as she could remember —she, and those around her, knew she would be an artist someday. But while she raised her family, she was unable to pursue this passion, save for the occasional painting. But in recent years, she has been at it steadily—and so many lives have been enriched in the process. 

From an early age, her family was extremely supportive—and she was known as the go-to person for anything artistic. “My mother would tell me about my artistically-inclined grandmother and uncle…” 

Incredibly, save for a few classes here and there over the years, Mrs. Benenfeld had no formal art training… “I recall being inspired by the realism of Esky Kook’s art as a child.” 

As her art developed, she was drawn into portrait painting: “I find portrait painting very satisfying,” she explains. “There is a certain wonderment in capturing a person’s likeness, and bringing it to life.” One feature of her art that stands out to the casual observer—especially in portrait paintings—is the emphasis on the eyes, and the exceptional details she invests in that aspect: “I especially find the eyes to be very telling; they’re truly the window to the soul. There’s so much depth and emotion in the eyes… It gives a connection to that person. 

Her preferred medium of painting has evolved over the years—in large part due to practical considerations. “When my kids were young, I found it challenging to work with paint, so I mainly worked with colored pencils; I loved the ability to get very detailed and realistic. Today, I mainly use watercolors and oils. While these mediums are quite different, they each have a quality that I love.  Both allow me to create and develop my work and still get that fine detailing. If I had to characterize my art I would say it falls into abstract realism.

Readers may also be familiar with Rikki’s art from the Hachai Publishing series “I Go to…,” geared to preschool children. “When I was raising young children, I was disappointed with the dearth of good illustrations in Judaic children's books; I felt that we could do much better and so I decided to get into book illustrations.” 

“The basic themes of my books are all about understanding how children feel, think, and perceive the world—and helping them explore the world, enabling them to adapt to new situations—inspiring the children of Klal Yisroel to live and love Yiddishkeit.” 

Mrs. Benenfeld message to budding artists, and to their parents, is: Believe in yourself and don’t hold back. You have a talent, use it! Don’t let your talent go to waste, and remember: If Hashem gave you talent, we are obligated to use it for good things.” 

The GALLERY below features a sampling of the art of Rikki Benenfeld. She can be reached through her website: rikkisartwork.com or by email at Rikki.artworks@gmail.com