Carol Bennett Mixed Media

American, b. 1954

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.

Artist: Carol Bennett

Carol Bennett"SUSPENSE" horizontal painting of a woman in red gliding beneath the water, 2025

$24,000

"SUSPENSE" horizontal painting of a woman in red gliding beneath the water

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Carol Bennett Mixed Media

Materials

India Ink, Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel

Carol Bennett"Rose Blush", young woman swimming underwater in a pink bathing suit, summer, 2025

$7,500

"Rose Blush", young woman swimming underwater in a pink bathing suit, summer

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...

Category

2010s Carol Bennett Mixed Media

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Carol Bennett"Archer" swimmer in white bathing suit reflection in the water submarine blues, 2025

$28,000

"Archer" swimmer in white bathing suit reflection in the water submarine blues

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Carol Bennett Mixed Media

Materials

India Ink, Acrylic, Oil Pastel, Oil, Wood Panel

BustartStreet Art Pop Art, Hand Painted Acrylic on Panel, 31x24 inches Fun Figurative, 2024

$1,900

H 31 in W 24 in D 2 in

Street Art Pop Art, Hand Painted Acrylic on Panel, 31x24 inches Fun Figurative

By Bustart

Located in New York, NY

TITLE: "RIDING CARROTS IN THE WILD" Hand painted and stencilled on panel In 1999 BustArt began his artistic career with classic Graffiti. Until 2005, he became familiar with the w...

Category

2010s Pop Art Carol Bennett Mixed Media

Materials

Spray Paint, Acrylic, Wood Panel

Marie-Pierre AutonneFrench Contemporary Art by M.-P. Autonne - Weekend à Liéville 2, 2021

$4,189

H 39.38 in W 39.38 in D 1.97 in

French Contemporary Art by M.-P. Autonne - Weekend à Liéville 2

By Marie-Pierre Autonne

Located in Paris, IDF

Acrylic & oil on wooden panel Marie-Pierre Autonne is a French artist born in 1960 who lives & works in Angers, France. She studied at Penninghen in Paris, France. She work...

Category

2010s Contemporary Carol Bennett Mixed Media

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel

MOTELSEVEN"Daydreamer", Contemporary Mixed-Media Figurative Work on Panel, 2026

$650

H 16.5 in W 12 in D 1.25 in

"Daydreamer", Contemporary Mixed-Media Figurative Work on Panel

Located in Philadelphia, PA

"Daydreamer" is an original piece by MOTELSEVEN made from acrylic and crayon on wooden board. This piece measures 16.5"h x 12"w x 1.25"d and comes with a gallery-issued Certificate o...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Carol Bennett Mixed Media

Materials

Acrylic, Crayon, Wood Panel

MOTELSEVEN"Beach Day", Contemporary Narrative Painting with Leisure Scene Imagery, 2026

$650

H 16.5 in W 12 in D 1.25 in

"Beach Day", Contemporary Narrative Painting with Leisure Scene Imagery

Located in Philadelphia, PA

"Beach Day" is an original piece by MOTELSEVEN made from acrylic and crayon on wooden board. This piece measures 16.5"h x 12"w x 1.25"d and comes with a gallery-issued Certificate of...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Carol Bennett Mixed Media

Materials

Crayon, Acrylic, Wood Panel

Olan QuattroBrood (Collage Landscape of Chicken Farm and Reclining Female Figure), 2024

$2,100

H 18 in W 24 in D 1 in

Brood (Collage Landscape of Chicken Farm and Reclining Female Figure)

Located in Hudson, NY

Brood (Collage Landscape of Chicken Farm and Reclining Female Figure) by Olan Quattro 2024, gouache, paper, and acrylic on wood panel, 18 x 24 inches Olan Quattro's subtle and sophi...

Category

2010s Contemporary Carol Bennett Mixed Media

Materials

Paper, Acrylic, Gouache, Wood Panel

Marie-Pierre AutonneFrench Contemporary Art by M.-P. Autonne - L'Été Bleu, 2023

$3,949

H 40.16 in W 29.93 in D 1.58 in

French Contemporary Art by M.-P. Autonne - L'Été Bleu

By Marie-Pierre Autonne

Located in Paris, IDF

Acrylic & oil on wooden panel Marie-Pierre Autonne is a French artist born in 1960 who lives & works in Angers, France. She studied at Penninghen in Paris, France. She worke...

Category

2010s Contemporary Carol Bennett Mixed Media

Materials

Acrylic, Oil, Wood Panel

Lauren Rinaldi"Home Plate 14" Figurative Sculpture by Lauren Rinaldi, 2022

$200

H 7.25 in W 2.25 in D 2 in

"Home Plate 14" Figurative Sculpture by Lauren Rinaldi

By Lauren Rinaldi

Located in Philadelphia, PA

This piece titled "Home Plate 14" is an original artwork made from oil paint and acrylic on panel by Lauren Rinaldi. This piece is freestanding and measures approx. 7.25"h x 2.5"w x ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Carol Bennett Mixed Media

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel

John Joseph HanrightAgeless Beauty

$12,500

H 36 in W 36 in

Ageless Beauty

By John Joseph Hanright

Located in New York, NY

Pop Art. Americana + Female Celebration. Ephemera, Oil, Acrylic, Resin on Panel. About the Artist: John Joseph Hanright is a contemporary painter and assemblage artist who bring...

Category

2010s Pop Art Carol Bennett Mixed Media

Materials

Resin, Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel

Macauley NormanSticker Painting, 2021

$5,000

H 48 in W 32 in D 1.88 in

Sticker Painting

By Macauley Norman

Located in Jersey City, NJ

Mixed-Media / Stickers / Illustration / Pop and Contemporary Pop / Human Figure / Chess / Comic Books / Video Games / Resin / Drawing / Representations of Everyday Objects / Figurative Art / Pop Art From Macauley Norman's solo exhibition, CRYPTIC CLUTTER, "Sticker Painting" is an incredible and unique resin coated pop surrealist painting featuring well over 70 gel pen drawings on sticker paper affixed to a wood panel painted in oil and acrylic paint. Among the illustration images are a panoply of pop culture references from the Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern hemispheres -- birds and other animals, landscapes, UFOs, food items, nineties-era pornography, vehicles, yin yang symbols, skulls, daggers, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle...

Category

2010s Contemporary Carol Bennett Mixed Media

Materials

Epoxy Resin, Plastic, Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel, Archival Ink

BustartFigurative Animal Street Art Pop Art Painting, Hand Painted Acrylic on Panel, 2024

$1,780

H 28 in W 20 in D 2 in

Figurative Animal Street Art Pop Art Painting, Hand Painted Acrylic on Panel

By Bustart

Located in New York, NY

Hand painted and stencilled on panel In 1999 BustArt began his artistic career with classic Graffiti. Until 2005, he became familiar with the whole spectrum of Graffiti and reached...

Category

2010s Pop Art Carol Bennett Mixed Media

Materials

Spray Paint, Acrylic, Wood Panel

Marie-Pierre AutonneFrench Contemporary Art by M.-P. Autonne - Les Verts Imaginaires, 2025

$3,351

H 39.38 in W 27.56 in D 1.58 in

French Contemporary Art by M.-P. Autonne - Les Verts Imaginaires

By Marie-Pierre Autonne

Located in Paris, IDF

Acrylic & oil on wooden panel Marie-Pierre Autonne is a French artist born in 1960 who lives & works in Angers, France. She studied at Penninghen in Paris, France. She work...

Category

2010s Contemporary Carol Bennett Mixed Media

Materials

Acrylic, Oil, Wood Panel

Adam BaranelloFriend - Figurative work on paper with text, 2020

$750

H 17 in W 14 in

Friend - Figurative work on paper with text

Located in East Quogue, NY

Original mixed media work on paper by Adam Baranello. Mixed media, acrylic, spray paint on canvas. Size 17 x 14 in. Offered unframed. Ships rolled Multidisciplinary artist Adam Ba...

Category

2010s Contemporary Carol Bennett Mixed Media

Materials

Oil Pastel, Ink, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic

Previously Available Items

Carol Bennett"SUSPENSE on paper" painting of a woman in red suit gliding beneath the water, 2025

Sold

H 22.5 in W 30 in

"SUSPENSE on paper" painting of a woman in red suit gliding beneath the water

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...

Category