MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.- Jason Benjamin’s exuberant paintings dumbfounded the Japanese, intrigued Hollywood stars Kevin Spacey and Brad Pitt and catapulted him on to the list of the 50 most collectable Australian artists. But if he is surprised by his metamorphosis from Sydney cook to art’s hot young star, it is not showing, even as big sales, film crews and high-profile commissions roll in. The 30-year-old artist is a busy man these days, fresh from his third group show in Tokyo. Life has been frantic since he was nominated by the influential Australian Art Collector magazine as one of the country’s rising stars. His work featuring everything from blood-engorged red roses to dreamily sinister landscapes grace the walls of venues from the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra to palatial London and Hollywood homes. He is currently completing pieces awaiting final touches at his Marrickville studio: portraits of actor David Field for the Doug Moran Prize and fellow painter Tim Storrier for the Archibald Prize. In the meantime, he has to oversee preparations for his Melbourne show this week and to negotiate a dream contract for works for Cunard’s new super ocean liner, the Queen Mary 2. It is his biggest commission so far, following previous successful forays into the corporate world, including a painting of gardenias for the launch of a Chanel perfume and a work for Macquarie Bank. His biggest painting, “This Is Love”, 240 by 366 centimeters, was sold recently to a private collector in Melbourne for $50,000.