The Brazos Valley Bucket List - Benjamin Knox Gallery and Wine Depot
Just down University Drive about a mile from the Texas A&M campus, you'll find a building dedicated to the history of the station of College Station. And inside you'll find one of the most popular artists in the state recreating and making history of his own with his brush.
"Look at that! That is beautiful green right there. Happy little tree," said Knox said jokingly while painting.
Benjamin Knox has been working in Aggieland ever since he graduated from Texas A&M University back in 1990.
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Every day he comes to his studio on a mission, to make something that's legacy will last longer than a lifetime.
"You're doing something that you know is going to outlast you and outlast us all hopefully," said Knox.
What started as a way to pay his way through school has turned into an incredible career for Benjamin.
"There really is a lot of orange in those post oaks and live oaks when you look at them," said Knox as he painted.
Now when you hang your hat in town like College Station, you usually wear your colors on your sleeve. But when it comes to the beloved maroon, Benjamin puts it into his paintings. And those paintings are a big draw at his gallery.
"This is the College Station Train Depot. The original was destroyed in 1966, it was raised to make room for Wellborn Road. Getting my degree in architecture from Texas A&M, I thought it would be fantastic to do a replica of that," said Knox.
In this part of his sprawling studio, Knox displays his art for Texans and Aggie fans to appreciate.
"This is a great piece to just show the excitement right now going into the football season," said Knox.
And the peaceful tranquility the center brings during the day takes on a very colorful life of its own at night.
Once a week, the gallery features more than just art. Live music, Texas wines, and good conversation fill the old train depot and might get louder than the old trains that used to pull up to the town's namesake.
"It's amazing, I mean he is an artist's artist. He is always working on his craft to make it better and he's always willing to talk to everybody about what he does. It really is a neat thing," said College Station resident Joe Foster.
"If you look around, everything is about the Aggies or Bryan/College Station. It's great," said Bryan resident Tracy Shelly.
The Benjamin Knox Gallery brings it all together family, friends, good times, a hunger for knowledge, and an appreciation of the arts.
"It's something that goes beyond words, it's an emotion. It's something that always connects people. It doesn't matter what culture you are from, it doesn't matter where you're from in the world, art can connect people," said Knox.