Coil (2025) Original Oil Painting by Ben Stephenson

Coil reimagines a pre-Hispanic serpent sculpture as a luminous, dreamlike form. Painted in turquoise hues against a glowing ochre ground, the snake folds into itself, eyes closed in a state of quiet power. The work captures both the protective and cyclical qualities of the serpent—an ancient symbol of renewal, fertility, and transformation across Mesoamerican cosmologies.

By translating stone into paint, Ben Stephenson creates a dialogue between past and present: a sacred figure recast through contemporary colour and gesture. Coil invites the viewer to contemplate the serpent not as a threat, but as a guardian of cycles and an emblem of continuity.

Materials used:

Oil paint on canvas

Details:

• Oil painting on Canvas
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 27 x 40 x 0.2cm (unframed) / 25 x 38cm (actual image size)
• Signed on the back
• Style: Unspecified
• Subject: Still life