Philip Bennet

Artist Statement

Painting allows me to forget all the chores and uncertainties life brings. While in the past I worked only representationally, painting mostly landscapes, in the last few years I have explored the endless possibilities of abstract art where there are no color, texture or shape restraints. When I start an abstract painting I decide on my basic colors and then work lines and shapes intuitively, looking for happy accidents that I can take advantage of. At the beginning it seems like chaos but by adding, deleting, and changing lines, marks and shapes order is restored. Also, I find that the repetition of shape and color helps in providing an underlying structure.

I work primarily in three media: watercolor, acrylic, and soft pastel, and frequently combine two or more of the media in my paintings. Seeking more texture, I find that watercolor over gesso or pastel on beeswax can produce unexpected and beautiful visual effects. By etching into roughly applied beeswax I can create a stained glass effect. Starting in 2005 I became fascinated by printmaking. I have been exploring the wide range of monotype and monoprint possibilities. The influence of Sam Francis and Miro can be seen in some of my prints.

I am a juried member of the Maryland Pastel Society. I have exhibited widely in the mid Atlantic area and my paintings are in private collections nationally and internationally.