Ben O'Hara was born on August 5th, 1994 at St. Francis Hospital in Santa Barbara, California. He was raised in Carpinteria, where he still lives today with his wife Alanna and son Wells. His passion and respect for the environment in which he has grown up  has drawn him to capture the local scenes and natural beauty that Santa Barbara County has to offer.

      Ben began painting with oils in his sophomore year of high school. He started painting waves. That quickly evolved into painting ocean scapes. By his junior year, he started exploring Santa Barbara's back country, and his eyes were opened to the pristine gems that are hidden within the timeless creeks and canyons just beyond the city limits. His exploration through surfing, hiking, and horseback riding inspires him to capture those moments of timelessness, like stumbling upon a painted cave deep in the wilderness or coming over the bluff and seeing an empty line up of perfect surf. These are the moments he lives for and thanks God every day for providing the stoke to capture it with his paints.

      Since graduating from Carpinteria High School in 2013, Ben has worked as a commercial fisherman out of Santa Barbara and Bristol Bay, traveled the western Coast of Australia, worked for various carpenters in town,  acquired an Associate's Degree in Art Studio at Santa Barbara City College, and is currently working for Joy Fire Protection in Carpinteria.

        Some of his favorite artists that he looks up to and is continuously inspired by include Matt Moore, Ray Strong, John Comer,  Michael Drury, Edgar Payne, Glenn Dean,  Maynard Dixon, Edward Borein, and Frank Serrano (to name a few).