Firebird Painting by Scott Bennett

Painting: Acrylic on Canvas.

I paint abstract landscapes with a wide variety of acrylic paints and mediums, that enable a very large range of painterly surfaces. I draw, pour, scumble, scrape, and brush thin, thick, rough, smooth, glossy, matte paint mixtures on canvas that is attached to my painting floor or painting boards. Each painting is cropped very precisely and each stretcher custom built to size. I began making non-objective pictures in the mid 70's and was recognized and championed by the most famous art critic of the 20th century, Clement Greenberg. His many studio visits were instrumental in my development as a mature artist.

While my influences are many, I was born out of Abstract Expressionism and what is loosely called "Color Field" painting. These genres helped form my approach to how I organize my studio and my painting practice. I still make non-objective pictures but have come to realize that I am a landscape painter at heart. Early American Modernists like John Marin, Marsden Hartley, Arthur Dove and Charles Burchfield are major influences, combined with European Masters like Bonnard, Matisse and Cezanne. All these influences are filtered through my apprenticeship to making Non-Objective pictures.