Born in 1977 in Toronto, Canada, Ben Tour makes paintings and drawings that are primarily portraits of characters, both real and imagined, forming a kind of visual diary of personalities that have impressed and inspired him. Subtle variations in color and the unexpected transitions between them give both the figures and their surroundings a haunting, indeterminate aura and rich painterly texture that teeters at the precipice of the surreal. Tour has shown throughout the US, Canada and Germany, and has been featured in numerous publications such as Juxtapoz, Streetwear Today, Applied Arts and Color.
