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.
"Amy" side profile of a woman with white bathing suit floating up for air
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...
Canvas, Oil
$3,200
"Winter White" reflective painting of woman in white bathing suit underwater
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...
Canvas, Oil
"Lighten Up" a woman in white bathing suit, arms outstretched, drifting
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...
Canvas, Oil
$600
H 18 in W 12 in
Oil Painting / Photorealism / Figurative Art / Human Figure /Museum
By Bruce Adams
Located in Buffalo, NY
Bruce Adams was a painter, art educator, and writer. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1952, he received a B.S. in 1976 and an M.A. in 1983 from Buffalo State College. Adams’s work is includ...
Canvas, Oil
$3,000
H 24 in W 20 in
"Abstract Visage VII" Portrait Oil Painting 24" x 20" inch by Ashraf Zamzami
By Ashraf Zamzami
Located in Culver City, CA
"Abstract Visage VII" Portrait Oil Painting 24" x 20" inch by Ashraf Zamzami ABOUT A characteristically bold and optimistic palette does not belie the inescapably pensive nature an...
Canvas, Oil
$4,168
H 15.75 in W 15.75 in D 1.38 in
Yellow mood- 21st Century Contemporary portrait Painting
By Tania Rivilis
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Tania Rivilis Yellow mood 40 x 40 cm framed (included in price) 43,5 x 43,5 cm Oilpaint on canvas Tania Rivilis (b. 1986) 2022 winner of the 'William Locke Price' ( £ 30.000 ) fr...
Oil, Canvas
$7,687
H 25.6 in W 37.41 in D 1.38 in
Singularity- 21st Century Contemporary Figurative Portrait Painting of a man
By Tania Rivilis
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Tania Rivilis Singularity 65 x 95 cm Oilpaint on canvas Tania Rivilis (born in Ukraine 1986) 2022 winner of the 'William Locke Price' from the Royal Society of Portrait Painters ...
Oil, Canvas
$5,329
H 19.69 in W 19.69 in D 1.38 in
Baker- Miller Pink- 21st Century Contemporary portrait Painting
By Tania Rivilis
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Tania Rivilis Baker- Miller Pink 50 x 50 cm framed (included in price) 53,5 x 53,5 cm Oilpaint on canvas Tania Rivilis (b. 1986) 2022 winner of the 'William Locke Price' ( £ 30.0...
Oil, Canvas
$9,179
H 39.38 in W 31.5 in D 1.38 in
Etcetera - 21st Century Contemporary Figure Painting of a Bare Chest Man
By Tania Rivilis
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Tania Rivilis Etcetera 100 x 80 cm Oilpaint on canvas Tania Rivilis (born in Ukraine 1986) 2022 winner of the 'William Locke Price' from the Royal Society of Portrait Painters UK...
Oil, Canvas
$3,000
H 24 in W 20 in
"Abstract Visage IV" Oil Painting 24" x 20" inch by Ashraf Zamzami
By Ashraf Zamzami
Located in Culver City, CA
"Abstract Visage IV" Oil Painting 24" x 20" inch by Ashraf Zamzami ABOUT A characteristically bold and optimistic palette does not belie the inescapably pensive nature and at times...
Canvas, Oil
Ruby from the Mirror Stone series
By Carolina Gomez
Located in New York City, NY
CAROLINA GOMEZ Ruby from the Mirror Stone series 40 x 30 inches - Unique OIL ON CANVAS Carolina Gomez’s works have become known for the powerful quest...
Canvas, Oil
$4,500
H 38.5 in W 38.5 in D 3 in
Portrait of a Native American woman by James Boyle
Located in Colfax, CA
A striking portrait of a native American woman, Owns Different Horses, by artist James Neil Boyle. Neil (James Neil) Boyle, grew up in Indian Country. His father was an honorary Chie...
Canvas, Oil
$7,254
H 19.69 in W 39.38 in D 0.79 in
One thousand and one nights- 21st Century Contemporary portrait Painting
By Tania Rivilis
Located in Nuenen, Noord Brabant
Tania Rivilis One thousand and one nights 50 x 100 cm Oilpaint on canvas Tania Rivilis (b. 1986) 2022 winner of the 'William Locke Price' ( £ 30.000 ) from the Royal Society of P...
Oil, Canvas
$3,000
H 24 in W 20 in
"Abstract Visage X" Oil Painting 24" x 20" inch by Ashraf Zamzami
By Ashraf Zamzami
Located in Culver City, CA
"Abstract Visage X" Oil Painting 24" x 20" inch by Ashraf Zamzami ABOUT A characteristically bold and optimistic palette does not belie the inescapably pensive nature and at times,...
Canvas, Oil
$8,500
H 32 in W 64 in D 2 in
Emerald from the Mirror Stone series (Portrait Painting Hedy Lamarr)
By Carolina Gomez
Located in New York City, NY
CAROLINA GOMEZ Emerald from the Mirror Stone series (Portrait Painting Hedy Lamarr) 32 x 64 inches - Unique OIL ON CANVAS Carolina Gomez’s works have beco...
Canvas, Oil
Emerald II from the Mirror Stone series
By Carolina Gomez
Located in New York City, NY
CAROLINA GOMEZ Emerald II from the Mirror Stone series 37 x 51 inches - Unique OIL ON CANVAS Carolina Gomez’s works have become known for the powerful...
Canvas, Oil
$8,000
H 16 in W 12 in
Diana (Spencer), Princess of Wales. From The Series "All About Eve"
By Annie Kevans
Located in New York, NY
Listing includes framing with UV plexi, free shipping to the continental US and a 14-day return policy. Diana (Spencer), Princess of Wales from the series “All About Eve...
Canvas, Oil, Archival Paper
$8,500
H 60 in W 48 in D 2 in
Topaz from the Mirror Stone series (Portrait Painting - Hedy Lamarr)
By Carolina Gomez
Located in New York City, NY
CAROLINA GOMEZ Emerald from the Mirror Stone series (Portrait Painting - Hedy Lamarr) 60 x 48 inches - Unique OIL ON CANVAS Carolina Gomez’s works have be...
Canvas, Oil