Paul Bennett

"I am known for my "knit" style of watercolor painting. This style emerged after trying to paint a wool glove that I had purchased at The Great Bazaar in Istanbul. This "knit" look is an interesting bridge between surface design and traditional and contemporary methods of painting. The world around me is my daily source of inspiration, as is my love for art history."

Paul Alan Bennett's art reflects his inventive spirit. He has studied both fine art and craft and often combines both worlds in his paintings. His work often has a reflective spirit or a playful tone.

Bennett's signature style in painting uses a combination of transparent and opaque watercolors. He uses opaque watercolors (gouache) in a manner that looks like weaving. The areas of the painting that have the knit look are first painted either black or with a dark color. After this dries, a "knit" layer of paint is applied using a small brush in a series of curved strokes. Highlights are then added.

Paul Alan Bennett studied fine art and ceramics at The Maryland Institute of Art in Baltimore, Maryland. He received an MA in Greek history from The University of La Verne in Athens, Greece. He has had more than 25 one-man shows and his work has frequently been used for book and CD covers and magazine illustrations. He currently teaches watercolor painting at Central Oregon Community College in Bend, Oregon.