Greenwood Woman Combines Conservation and Art to Create Works of Beauty

It does not take long to realize that Greenwood resident Elyse Benson is full of life. Witty, warm, and willing to take on just about any challenge that comes along, Benson has a talent which lots of folks don’t know about. Art has been a part of her life since she was a child in Dayton, Ohio. “Growing up, there was an elderly lady I knew and she had a house full of art materials—whether it was paper scraps, or stuff to glue and cut up—it didn’t matter. She encouraged and inspired the artist in me, and ever since then, I’ve been hooked,” explains Benson. She says she really got serious about art after reading an article that motivated her to create. “I was flipping through a magazine one day in the late 70’s, and there was a feature on elaborately painted eggs. I cut the article out, started collecting materials anywhere I could, and began designing. I still have the article!” she exclaims.

Benson is the Ninety-Six District Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Coordinator, based out of Greenwood County. RC&D is a rural development program focusing on conservation, development, and utilization of area natural resources to improve social, economic, and environmental conditions for area citizens. The Ninety-Six District serves the counties of Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick and Saluda.

With no formal art training, Benson has experimented with quilt making, furniture painting, creating clothes and jewelry, and has a special knack for turning something old into something quite unique. Many of her materials are discovered at flea markets and other places where she can find one-of-a-kind objects. “Each year, I look forward to a trip to Quartzsite, Arizona, where I buy a lot of the materials, including gems and pearls, that I make my jewelry with,” she says. During the months of January and February, over a million visitors flock to this town for one of the world’s largest open air flea markets. “I like collecting raw materials, and items like keys, which can really be transformed into something beautiful.” Benson’s art could be considered eco-friendly, as she does focus on using recycled materials, which might otherwise end up in a landfill. “I select the furniture I’m going to paint based on the fact that usually it is something someone is going to get rid of.”

One of her creations is a quilt that she made for her daughter, Iris. Constructed of scraps collected over a 30-year period (including treasured pieces like old clothes that hold special memories) the quilt was a wedding gift for her daughter who lives in Oregon. “I began collecting wool scraps in the 70’s, and it really took lots of material to comprise the quilt. I’m already saving up cotton scraps for my next quilt project.”

Benson also paints furniture, and says that some of her creations can take up to twenty hours. In fact, the first thing she ever painted after becoming inspired by the magazine article was a chair.

Benson lived in a commune for 22 years in Williams, Oregon. “I had a good deal of free time at the commune, so I spent a lot of time experimenting with my art,” she says. “I sewed a lot of my own clothes, and still enjoy doing that.”

A graduate of Oregon State University in forest management, Benson worked for the USDA Forest Service in Oregon and Washington State before coming on board with RC&D in Greenwood. Prior to her arrival in South Carolina in 2006, she was an urban planner in Las Vegas. She also enjoys gardening and playing the old-time fiddle.

Benson sells some of her artwork at a local gallery in downtown Greenwood. “I am not interested in actively marketing or promoting my creations. I just do it because I love it.” She explains that art is an integral part of her life, and is something that she can always turn to. “I don’t really consider myself an artist—I just feel driven to bring color into my life.” Benson is currently focused on making jewelry. “When I grow up, I’d like to devote most of my time to fiber arts, gardening, and coming up with unique designs.” She says it is the creative process that excites her. “Ideas are everywhere, and I’m constantly gathering them from different sources. It can be something I see on a book cover, a menu, in a gallery, or even from watching shows on Home and Garden Television (HGTV). I am looking forward to retirement so that I can devote much of my time to the creative process!” Benson draws a correlation between her love for art and her career as an RC&D Coordinator. “I love my job with RC&D, and it allows for a good measure of creative license.” This Greenwood resident is taking conservation to the next level. Part conservationist, part artist, Benson is blending two passions to create beautiful works of art, while at the same time, improving the quality of life for the citizens in her RC&D area. For more information about RC&D, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/rcd.

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