Dan Bennett botanical art

Dan Bennett


The Plant World: Gardens have always held a special place in my imagination. They are budding with life, and are full of colour, texture and form. With hard work and careful planting, they become ever-changing living sculptures, within which one can hide, play, relax and dream. Having handled plants as a professional gardener for almost half my life, I now have an intrinsic understanding of how they bud, grow, bloom, whither and die. I no longer use reference material to produce my images, and instead rely solely on my inner eye and visual memory. It is this intimate knowledge that I attempt to capture and express in my paintings. The Art World: My love of patterns has led me to appropriate art from across the world and across the ages. Aboriginal art has a strong influence in my work, reflecting the land and a spiritual connection with it. Islamic art is useful when considering the meditative process of producing more intricately detailed work. Japanese art from the Edo period influences my compositions. Body decoration, such as mehndi hand painting, Maori tattoos, and African tribal art has always influenced my patterns. 20th century Western art informs my mark-making, such as action-painting and 'taking the line for a walk'. view Dan's CV



Pennisetum acrylic on canvas



Helleborus acrylic on canvas		Matthiola 4 acrylic on canvas SOLD