Discovering Benjamin Hunter Nall and His Extraordinary Creations

I’d never heard the title, “Sculpture Artisan” before, but now I have a clear idea of what that means because of my encounter with an artist who exemplifies this description. His name is Benjamin Hunter Nall and he has started his artistic career as Tri-R-Creations – Recycle. Reuse. Reinvent - and can be found at Whitman Designs at 410 10th Street South in Naples.

When I walked into the shop, I had no idea I would meet an artist of such unusually creative ideas. This shop, virtually across from the Naples Depot Museum, has lots of sunny and unique designs of furniture, lamps and wall art. I was intrigued by the variety and seaside colors. The beachy one-of-a kind furniture was unique – a dream for someone who is furnishing a new place or redecorating.

As I browsed around the shop, I noticed a shelf of puppets/marionettes made of the most eclectic materials and the uniqueness of each stunned me. I picked up one that “called to me” and was captivated by the ingenuity.

Two wooden slats controlled the marionette. One for the arms and one for controlling the roller-ball movement forward and back and sideways instead of legs. Amazed at the ingenuity, I inwardly said, “Sold” and took it up the desk to pay, but not so fast! There were other creations that captured my attention, but they’d have to wait for a return visit.

The owner, David Whitman Alger, was enthusiastic about my purchase and more than willing to answer my questions about the artist and so, here’s the story, the amazing story of this young man who had no experience in marketing.

David told me that one day this young man walked into his shop and said he wanted to be a businessman and create things to sell. The owner, David, recognized that this young man had the zeal, but struggled with some communication challenges, so, he took Benjamin under his wing, provided him with a workspace and coaching to help Benjamin’s dream become a reality. The owner showed me Benjamin’s workspace and gave me a modest synopsis of his support. Needless to say, I was surprised and thrilled that Ben was being supported in his creativity.

The owner guided me to more of Ben’s creations that revealed his imagination and I was overwhelmed with his talent. Best of all, he was selling his creations, for fair prices, I thought. There were several that were staged outside that were incredible and definitely drew locals and visitors into the shop. When I found my way back to the shop about a month later, all Ben’s puppets were sold out! At least I bought one before they were gone.

During the recent Art Show in Naples on 10th and surrounding streets, I persuaded our guest from Salt Lake City to pop into the shop and see Benjamin’s creations. Whitman Designs, Inc. is dedicated to those who appreciate design, furnishings, architecture and the creative. All their designs are hand-made in Naples, many created with iron and they also have beautiful blown glass. The shop was bustling with visitors who were enthusiastically deciding which of the creations to purchase. 

We found the artist in the garden, where several of his larger creations were on exhibit. He had also started sewing with fabric to make comical stuffed animals for children. Note, he creates and sews each by hand impeccably, seams, faces and all. Each critter was soft and loveable and with the appropriate amount of squeezable stuffing.

Benjamin’s sister was assisting him with his sales, communication and answering questions. He demonstrated the animals he created and one really tickled my funny bone. The one I chose was a salmon color with a detachable head, arms and legs. Crazy eh? But they could all be reattached because he had sewn magnets into the “joints”- totally unique. When I saw this creation, I thought of my nephew in first grade and his six-month old sister and the fun they could have putting the extremities back in crazy configurations and laughing, while learning about physiology and magnetic attraction.

There were some of his larger creations in the garden that were complex and fun, much bigger than the puppets or soft toys. Benjamin has a gift. Unlike many other young adults, he has a support group and now, “fans,” to keep him on the path that he dreams of. Thanks to the mentors in his life, and his drive to master new avenues of creativity, he’s on the road to success.