LATONJA DAVIS-BENSON FINE ART
Latonja is an Inland Empire Abstract Painter known for her robust creations.
Latonja Davis | Artist
Born and raised in the sun-warmed quiet of Beaumont, Texas, Latonja Davis-Benson’s earliest adventures among trees, ditches, and wild berries shaped her instinct to experience the world in layers—visual, audible, and tangible. Her creative journey began in childhood when an owl drawing earned local recognition, affirming what would become a lifelong devotion to art.
Latonja considers herself a mixed media, multi-process artist, creating work that convinces viewers the art comes from both her soul and her materials. Using bold color and found elements, she enhances the visual and tactile viewer experience, transforming reclaimed materials—paper, cardboard, and organic textures—into layered, expressive compositions.
With a Bachelor’s in Design and a Master’s in Painting, she blends academic discipline with intuitive practice. Her path has spanned careers in radiographic imaging, silkscreen design, and more than 25 years as both a college and elementary art educator. Her work often functions as emotional landscapes where memory, environment, and personal experience converge, influenced by artists such as Rauschenberg, Rothko, and Pollock, yet remaining distinctly her own.
A pivotal transformation in her life and practice followed her breast cancer journey. As a survivor, Latonja considers her artistic practice a form of therapy—an essential part of her healing and recovery. This experience deepened her connection to her materials, where reclamation and reuse echo her own sense of renewal and spiritual rebirth.
Her continued creative curiosity draws her to nature and its effortless cycles of waste and renewal. With an awareness of environmental sensitivity, she intentionally incorporates repurposed materials to create tactile, thought-provoking work that introduces new dimensions in her art-making process. This movement within her work parallels her personal rediscovery, embodying resilience, transformation, and life after cancer.
Beyond the studio, Latonja extends her creative mission into the community as the founder of Paint Hive Studio – Creative Art Events and Paint Hive Studio, NP – Afterschool Art Program, where she inspires creativity in children and adults alike.
For Latonja, art is connection, transformation, and freedom—a way to keep the world a little wild, a little wondrous, and endlessly creative.
"The voice of a child is heard in their art"
Latonja D.
"My spirit animal is the owl, an animal that reminds me to be true to myself in life and as an artist; be wise in decision-making and focused on the path."