Ben Schuh
Artist
If you don’t recognize Ben Schuh, you know his work. The giant “Cheers from Des Moines” painting on the west wall of Exile Brewing Co.? His. The timeless Beaverdale mural? That, too. Schuh has been a prolific painter and designer since his college days at Grand View. He has two bags, depending on the project and the client. Both are from Coach, both spotted with paint. Here he explains the things he carries (see photo below):
Sketchy Lifestyle: The monogrammed leather-bound notepad is from Coach. I modified it to carry a notebook and sketchbook for doing quick concepts.
In the Cards: Business cards showcase my work with info necessities on the reverse side.
Just in Case: The generic purple pencil case carries a lot of color, including acrylic paint pens and felt-tip pens.
“Expressionism” book:
I always carry books and magazines, like W. They educate and inspire me when I’m traveling or awaiting a meeting.
Colorful Work:
For my own work, I’ve been using the same seven colors for the past five years. From them, I can build about any color scheme. The color chart is from Nova Color, a company that provides pearlescent acrylics and other specialty paints for client work.
Button, Button … I always carry a stash of buttons that promote Gustav, a collaboration with Scott Kaven, a longtime friend and fellow artist. Each button has an image of a Gustav painting with the Gustav name. We work together and paint over each other’s work, so we’re constantly producing something that challenges us as artists and reflects a true creative union.
Black Isn’t a Color: The can of spray paint is from Montana brand’s premium Black line. I use a lot of these in murals. This one is actually red, Code Red.
Go Bananas: The Andy Warhol banana image is on a coaster. You can’t be too careful around clients’ furniture, right? This one is a souvenir from a trip to Argentina and reminds me of the time I first visited there at age 14.
Case Closed:
I call it a bag. Coach calls it their “metropolitan” briefcase. It goes to client meetings filled with all this stuff, plus laptop computers and other electronics.
