Splitting her time between Hawaii and California, Carol Bennett (b. 1954) has mastered the art of capturing movement in her enigmatic paintings.
While Bennett has garnered praise for the meditative sensibility that characterizes her paintings as well as a bold use of bright colors, some of her works are more famous than others. In fact, her “Women in Water” series is perhaps her most well-known collection. As its name implies, the series features women swimming. They’re captured from an underwater perspective, and their faces are either out of frame entirely or obscured by the sun-dappled surface of the water, which serves as a showcase for Bennett’s portrayal of the qualities of sunlight. The upper half of each painting is flecked with the blues and greens of the ocean as well as whatever color the subject’s bathing suit happens to be.
The series originated with Bennett sketching swimmers at an athletic club’s pool in Los Angeles, but as her process evolved, her husband, Wayne Zebzda, began to film the artist on her daily swim on Kauai. The resultant images inform her work, but she doesn’t consider these works to be depictions of her in particular.
“I swim seven days a week, and while I don’t consider them self-portraits, I am the swimmer in the paintings,” Bennett has said.
Given her constant proximity to the ocean, it’s no surprise that Bennett is inspired by water’s glassy properties, citing its presence as both “a mirror and then a window.” Her radiant paintings, whether she’s working with oil and shellac on paper or wood panels, allow her to explore sunlight in such a rich and provocative way that it’s as if she endeavors to suspend rays of light above the water’s surface, making them seem as tangible and physical as the swimmers themselves.
Aside from her works that hang on the walls of galleries and museums around the world, Bennett has also painted murals and even a 48-foot photovoltaic solar canopy for the Hawaii State Art Museum Sculpture Garden.
Find Carol Bennett’s paintings on 1stDibs.
"Heleconia" Abstract Painting, Mixed Media on Glass, 21st Century
By Carol Bennett
Located in Edgartown, MA
"I throw myself into the water almost every day- it grounds me, the body floats and the mind drifts. The "Swimmer series" has followed me over the years, resurfacing and evolving. Pr...
Glass, Mixed Media
"Flame Angel" Abstract mixed media reverse triptych painting behind glass
By Carol Bennett
Located in Edgartown, MA
"I throw myself into the water almost every day- it grounds me, the body floats and the mind drifts. The "Swimmer series" has followed me over the years, resurfacing and evolving. Presently I'm working on wood, I'm intrigued by wood grain swirling like water and how that ground moves through the swimmer's form”. Carol graduated from the Art Center College of Design in painting. For some 20 years she split her time between her loft in downtown LA and a beach bungalow in Hawaii- satisfying a passion for culture and the ocean's pull. In LA she painted backdrops...
Gold Leaf
"Blue Wave" Abstract blue and green painting of microscopic life w/ resin finish
By Anne Harney
Located in Edgartown, MA
“Spending a lifetime of summers on Martha's Vineyard my work has evolved into natural forms of coastal scenes. My connection to the island developed a deep concern with natural forms...
Mixed Media
"Entropy 39" Abstract mixed media painting in red, white and light green
By Jylian Gustlin
Located in Edgartown, MA
Abstract mixed media painting in red, white and light green. Jylian Gustlin is a native Californian and grew up in the San Francisco bay area. She has been shaped by the technology...
Oil Pastel, Wax, Oil, Acrylic, Graphite
"Harrison 2" geometric abstract of white, grey, green and red
By Chase Langford
Located in Edgartown, MA
Chase Langford has created a distinctive visual language that is grounded in the natural and built environment while embarking into uncharted territory. His impactful depictions reca...
Canvas, Oil
"Amalfi 4" abstract oil painting in shades of blue, green, red and white
By Chase Langford
Located in Edgartown, MA
Chase Langford has invented a distinctive visual language that is grounded in the natural and built environment while embarking into uncharted territory. His impactful depictions recall maps and aerial photography of sea coasts, mountains, farmland and cities through a calculated execution and highly refined draftsmanship. Just as the West Coast Abstract Expressionists (1940 to 1970) found California’s striking landscape fertile ground, so does Langford as he draws upon his geographic environs both near and far. Through his cartographic mastery, Langford contorts and synthesizes geographic elements, bringing forth paintings that are mysteriously familiar yet surprisingly unconventional. They challenge conventions of geography and landscapes, offering invigorating visions of space and place that transcend any specific locale, leading us to an exhilarating emotional experience. Bio Chase Langford born in Pontiac, Michigan, is a Los Angeles-based artist well known for his geographically inspired paintings. He studied cartography earning a BA from UC Santa Barbara in Geography then worked as a cartographer at UCLA. Starting with his Map Paintings he literally reinterpreted geography by taking selected features from maps and filled in the reconfigured shapes in a flurry of color and movement creating a fresh take on familiar geographic forms. This followed with series that moved even deeper into pure abstraction with his Coldwater, Mulholland, and Scrape series which all lead to his Morphic series, now the core focus of his painting today. His paintings have been widely shown at one-person and group exhibitions in Los Angeles, New York City, Washington DC, Montreal, Palo Alto, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Napa Valley, Seattle, and Palm Springs and included many corporate/public collections (often site specific commissions) such as Long Beach Musuem of Art, Keck School of Medicine at USC, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Star City...
Canvas, Oil
Go Big or Stay Home, Abstract Expressionist Painting, Acrylic, Resin on Canvas
Located in Atlanta, GA
You could say Lea Ellermeier is a painter, and you would be right. But it’s not the whole truth. It’s hard to put a label on Lea. She is an entrepreneur, CEO, author, and a painter. ...
Canvas, Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic
"Circuitious", Abstract Mixed Media Painting, Acrylic on Plexiglass, 2024
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a one of a kind original painting by southern California artist, Kathleen Kane Murrell. Its dimensions are 40" x 30" x 2" (HxWxD). It is Acrylic on panel, vintage silk paper,...
Gold Leaf
Reclaimed 3, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By Hilary Winfield
Located in Yardley, PA
Reclaimed 3 is an original, modern art painting from the Modern Industrial series. This one-of-a-kind painting was created with acrylic paint on gallery-wrapped canvas. It has a widt...
Acrylic
Flow 1 by Anja Becker - Abstract contemporary painting with Resin on wood
By Anja Becker
Located in DE
Anja Becker is a German artist living and working from Hamburg. She paints vibrant paintings using resin. Poured layer by layer her paintings have a distinctive high gloss finish and...
Epoxy Resin, Wood
Colorful French Acrylic Abstraction Signed by Marc Dugain
Located in New York, NY
Marc Dugain (French, b. 1946) Untitled, 2011 Acrylic on paper Sight: 13 x 11 in. Framed: 28 3/4 x 24 1/2 x 1 3/4 in. Dated and signed bottom: XI Dugain
Paper, Acrylic
Reclaimed 6, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By Hilary Winfield
Located in Yardley, PA
Reclaimed 6 is an original painting, created with acrylic paint on gallery-wrapped canvas. It has a width of 24 inches and a height of 36 inches with a depth of 1.5 inches (36x24x1.5...
Acrylic
