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.
$2,900
"MV Spring" abstract figurative oil painting swimmer underwater with orange
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...
Mixed Media, Cardboard
$1,500
Fish Study, painting, Reverse painting on glass gold leaf, oil, cobalt, water
By Carol Bennett
Located in Riverdale, NY
Fish Study by Hawaii artist Carol Bennett is a reverse painting on glass artwork. It is Oil, Varnish, Gold Leaf and powdered Cobalt. It is 9x12. Carol Bennett's artwork is a meditative journey through both the water and through life. She is one of the few artists to truly capture what it's like to be in and moving and swimming through the water. For Carol, the act of swimming underwater is similar to the process of painting. Her approach results in multi-layered surfaces that are intricate and textured and unexpected. She is constantly experimenting with her pieces: adding, subtracting, sanding. When she is not painting Swimmers, she is capturing the fish surrounding her. She has created over 100 large public and corporate commissions internationally, and is in private collections around the world. Carol Bennett was recently currently featured in two exhibits at the Honolulu Museum of Art. Networking and Water: Carol Bennett featuring female swimmers, as well as marine nets floating or submerged in water. Bennett was also part of the group exhibit Making Waves highlighting the important role of women artists in the museum’s contemporary collection. In this show, the works by international and Hawaii-based artists all have a relationship to water. Featured artists also included: April Gornik, Agnes Martin, Judy Pfaff, Kiki Smith and Pat Steir! Elisa Contemporary Art...
Gold Leaf
$3,700
"Suzie Q (Paper)" mixed media painting of feet floating in water with reflection
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...
Mixed Media, Archival Paper
"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
$2,600
Waterfall Duet 2, Water, Gold, White, Flowing, Acrylic, Oil, Painting, unframed
By Carol Bennett
Located in Riverdale, NY
Waterfall Duet 2 is an original waterfall painting by Hawaii artist Carol Bennett. It is reminiscent of the beautiful flowing waterfalls throughout the Hawaiian islands. It is Acry...
Varnish, Oil, Acrylic, Board
"Trigger" Abstract Painting, Mixed Media on Glass, bright colors
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
$1,100
"Bad Ass Rose (paper)" Acrylic painting on paper of a white rose with red dots
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...
Mixed Media, Acrylic
$3,800
Flat, painting inspired by Hawaii Fish, Red, black, Green, Oil, Ink on panel
By Carol Bennett
Located in Riverdale, NY
Flat is Ink and Oil and Varnish on Wood Panel inspired by the Hawaii Flatfish. It is 20x20 filled with red, orange, black and green. Carol Bennett spends all of her time surrounded...
Ink, Oil, Wood Panel
$2,600
Waterfall Duet 1, Water, Gold, White, Flowing, Acrylic, Oil, Painting, unframed
By Carol Bennett
Located in Riverdale, NY
Waterfall Duet 1 is an original waterfall painting by Hawaii artist Carol Bennett. It is reminiscent of the beautiful flowing waterfalls throughout the Hawaiian islands. It is Acry...
Varnish, Oil, Acrylic, Board
$7,800
H 45 in W 45 in D 1.5 in
Abstract Landscape Mixed Media Canvas Painting 45x45" The clarity of a shore
By Irena Orlov
Located in Los Angeles, CA
One of a kind Mixed Medium on Canvas Artwork: Original abstract mixed media work on canvas, which combines new media - digital original hand painting, printed on canvas, then hand p...
Canvas, Varnish, Archival Ink, Acrylic, Mixed Media
$320
H 13 in W 11 in
Serie Dibujos Felices 10 - Original Red Blue Watercolor and Ink Artwork on Paper
By "Sergio ""Valenz"" Valenzuela"
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sergio Valenzuela “Valenz” is a contemporary Guatemalan artist who tells stories with everyday objects, primarily expressing them with graphite and acrylic on canvas. His artworks pr...
Ink, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Archival Paper
"Flirtation, " Abstract Painting
By Ned Martin
Located in Westport, CT
This horizontal abstract painting by Ned Martin is made with oil paint and 24K gold leaf on aluminum. The artist's signature square and rectangular patterned composition serves as a ...
Metal, Gold Leaf
"Alice & the Piglet" - Contemporary Surrealist Pop Collage on Wood
By Zoa Ace
Located in Denver, CO
Born in Rockford, Illinois, 1951 Zoa Ace creates figurative oil paintings that explore human relationships through theatrical narratives infused with symbolic animals and whimsical...
Oil, Wood
$62,110Sale Price|30% Off
H 41 in W 32.5 in D 2 in
Dark & Atmospheric Abstract Expressionist Art by Contemporary British Painter
By Angela Wakefield
Located in Preston, GB
Dark & Atmospheric Abstract Expressionist Painting by Contemporary British Painter Angela Wakefield - a rare early work. Entitled 'Accrington ...
Gesso, Canvas, Cotton, Paint, Varnish, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, ...
$10,351Sale Price|70% Off
H 30 in W 40 in D 2 in
Orange & Red Abstract Sunset Sunrise Painting by Leading British Urban Artist
By Angela Wakefield
Located in Preston, GB
Orange & Red Abstract Expressionist Painting - a rare early work from Leading British Urban Artist, Angela Wakefield. Entitled 'Sunset Sunrise #1', this bold, colourful artwork is fr...
Gesso, Canvas, Cotton, Paint, Varnish, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, ...
$34,454
H 28.5 in W 38 in D 2.5 in
Earthy Brown & Green Abstract Expressionist Art - a Unique Original Painting
By Angela Wakefield
Located in Preston, GB
Earthy Brown & Green Abstract Expressionist Art - a Unique Original Painting - an extremely rare early work from leading British Contemporary Artist, Angela Wakefield. This colou...
Gesso, Canvas, Cotton, Paint, Varnish, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, ...
$2,800Sale Price|30% Off
H 18 in W 14 in D 1.5 in
"Buster" by L. A. Spowart - Bright Playful Abstract Animal Dog Painting on Wood
Located in Carmel, CA
Lesley Anne Spowart (American, born 1957) "Buster" 2023 Acrylic Paint, Oil Paint, Mixed Media, Wood Panel, Wire The artist signed the bottom left and back of the painting. "Buster"...
Wire
Abstract composition
Located in DEVENTER, NL
Paolo Sistilli (1950) Abstract composition Signed lower right corner Sistilli and dated 87 Mixed media 104 x 105 cm. In wooden frame Paolo Sistil...
Mixed Media
$7,000
H 40 in W 30 in D 1.5 in
"Where the Wild Things Are" - Colorful Happy Mixed Media Abstract Dog Artwork
Located in Carmel, CA
Lesley Anne Spowart (American, born 1957) "Where the Wild Things Are" 2025 Acrylic Paint, Oil Paint, Mixed Media, Paper, Glue, Wood Panel The artist signed the bottom middle and the ...
Paper, Glue, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel
$7,800
H 45 in W 45 in D 1.5 in
The Blue Sea Wave, Coastal Contemporary Painting Mixed Media Canvas 45x45"
By Irena Orlov
Located in Los Angeles, CA
One of a kind Mixed Medium on Canvas Artwork: Original abstract mixed media work on canvas, which combines new media - digital original hand painting, printed on canvas, then hand p...
Canvas, Varnish, Archival Ink, Acrylic, Mixed Media
$77,638Sale Price|25% Off
H 40 in W 60 in D 2 in
Triptych Abstract Forest Trees Landscape Painting by British Urban Artist
By Angela Wakefield
Located in Preston, GB
Early Triptych Abstract Trees Forest Landscape Painting by British Urban Artist, Angela Wakefield. This rare early work is from an intense body of abstract work that formed the very ...
Gesso, Paint, Varnish, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Wood, Board, Wood Panel
Sold
H 22 in W 30 in
"Light Catcher" Woman in white bathing suit at play under 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...
India Ink, Oil, Acrylic
Sold
H 12 in W 12 in
"Diamonds" Abstract oil painting with water sparkling white and orange
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...
Oil, Cardboard
Sold
H 5 in W 8.5 in
"Listening (Paper)" Figurative abstract oil painting of people in the ocean
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. P...
Oil, Handmade Paper
Sold
H 20 in W 20 in
"Beachwalker (In the Light)" abstract painting of silhouette, glistening ocean
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...
Oil, Cardboard
Sold
H 22 in W 30 in
"Time Out (paper)" abstract painting of a woman swimming under teal water
By Carol Bennett
Located in Edgartown, MA
Abstract mixed media painting of a woman swimming under teal water "I throw myself into the water almost every day- it grounds me, the body floats and the mind drifts. The "Swimmer ...
Paper, Oil
Sold
H 48 in W 36 in
"Om/Mom" Black and white abstract seascape of figures in the ocean
By Carol Bennett
Located in Edgartown, MA
Black and white abstract oil painting of figures in the ocean with a resin finish. "I throw myself into the water almost every day- it grounds me, the body floats and the mind drift...
Resin, Oil, Wood Panel
Sold
H 46 in W 46 in
"Kissing the Ground" Abstract oil painting of a woman in a red suit under water
By Carol Bennett
Located in Edgartown, MA
Abstract oil painting of a woman in a red suit under blue water. "I throw myself into the water almost every day- it grounds me, the body floats and the mind drifts. The "Swimmer se...
Oil, Wood Panel
Sold
H 22 in W 30 in
"Fresh Water Drops" Black and white oil painting on paper of ripples in water
By Carol Bennett
Located in Edgartown, MA
Black and white oil painting on paper of ripples in water. "I throw myself into the water almost every day- it grounds me, the body floats and the mind drifts. The "Swimmer series"...
Paper, Oil
Sold
H 24 in W 24 in
Salmon Study, Mixed Media work on paper, Swimmer, Water, Coral, Orange, floating
By Carol Bennett
Located in Riverdale, NY
Salmon Study by Hawaii artist Carol Bennett is Oil and Shellac on Paper, 22x22. It is framed to 24x24. Carol Bennett spends all of her time surrounded by water, and a great deal wi...
Varnish, Oil, Archival Paper