"Free Horizon" Oil painting of a woman in a white swimsuit in a blue pool
View Similar Items
Carol Bennett"Free Horizon" Oil painting of a woman in a white swimsuit in a blue pool2017
2017
About the Item
- Creator:Carol Bennett (1954, American)
- Creation Year:2017
- Dimensions:Height: 10 in (25.4 cm)Width: 10 in (25.4 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Edgartown, MA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU16422010853
Carol Bennett
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.
- "6 Oysters" oil painting of white oysters on blue background with resin finishBy Anne HarneyLocated 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...Category
2010s Still-life Paintings
MaterialsResin, Oil, Wood Panel
- "Tickled Pink" oil painting of the feet of a woman floating in oceanBy Carol BennettLocated 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...Category
2010s Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Wood Panel
- "Beach Grass and Sand" oil painting of a woman in sunglasses with dunes, bikiniBy T.S. HarrisLocated in Edgartown, MAIn her paintings, Tracey Sylvester Harris presents a dazzling, iconic vision of the female form that merges the past with the present. The paintings s...Category
2010s Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Panel
- "Kissing the Ground" abstract oil painting of woman in red suit under blue waterBy Carol BennettLocated 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...Category
2010s Figurative Paintings
MaterialsWood Panel, Oil
- "Rachael in Red and Aquamarine" Woman in Red swimsuit in crystalline blue water.By Carol BennettLocated 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...Category
2010s Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Wood Panel
- "Rachael in Red" oil painting on panel of a woman in red suit in turquoise poolBy Carol BennettLocated 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...Category
2010s Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Wood Panel
- "Rise and Fall" portrait oil painting blonde man ocean sea wavesLocated in Phoenix, AZRachel Bess Rise and Fall , 2017 oil on Dibond 10" x 8" unframed 13.5" x 11.5" framed Rachel Bess is known for her precise and theatrical oil paintings ...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Panel
- Shore BirdsLocated in Salt Lake City, UT"Shore Birds" by Gerald Purdy, oil on panel, 11 1/2 X 14 inches (framed size: 17 X 21 1/2 inches), $2,800. "I chose narrative art from the menu and have ...Category
2010s Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Panel
- The Gathering After the RainBy Heather BarronLocated in Salt Lake City, UTBreath of Fresh Air, oil on panel, 48 x 36 inches, $6,000 Having grown up in England, Heather Barron innately infuses her work with a bit of British charm and decorous character. Re...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Panel
- Louis Cabié (1853-1939) - Landes à Pessac - GirondeBy Louis-Alexandre CabiéLocated in BELEYMAS, FRLouis-Alexandre CABIE (Dol-de-Bretagne 1853 - Bordeaux 1939) Landes in Pessac - Gironde Oil on panel H. 31 cm; L. 55 cm Signed lower right Louis Cabié, re...Category
1880s French School Landscape Paintings
MaterialsOil, Wood Panel
- Before the Beginning: figurative, oil, graphite on canvas over board, 2008Located in Petaluma, CABefore the Beginning is a figurative work and has a highly textured surface. It is canvas over board. The sides are unframed and are covered by linen tape. The black area around th...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil Crayon, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Wood Panel, Color Pencil, Graphite
- Old Master Painting, Flemish Baroque, Religious Scene, Esau and Jacob, LentilBy Erasmus Quellinus the YoungerLocated in Greven, DEIsaac and Rebecca had two sons: the twins Esau and Jacob. Esau was the first-born, giving him the birthright. Among Jews the birthright gave the eldest son authority over the family,...Category
17th Century Baroque Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Panel