Jerry Bennett
biography |
portfolio | artists listing
b. 1941, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Arrowmont School of Arts & Craft, Gatlinburg, TN
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2009 Los Angeles Art Show, represented by del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2008-09 Challenge VII: DysFUNctional, Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, PA
2008 Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
2006 Center for Turning & Furniture Design, Indiana University, Indiana, PA
Our Turn Now: Artists Speak Out in Wood, Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, OH
2005 Wood Turned, Fleur Gallery, Houston, TX
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
I have been an artist all of my life. One wouldn’t know it by my career in engineering, computers and business. It was in fact, a realization I came to through variety of experiences. In my spare time, I painted various subjects, did some metal sculpture and enjoyed playing music in my home studio. After selling my business in 1985, I decided to build a commercial recording studio. In the process, I discovered that design and construction appealed to me far more than daily studio operations, so I sold the studio to a young man whose passion was recording music!
I made the decision to pursue creative endeavors more in line with my first love, design. When my wife Peggy signed us up for some woodturning classes at a local woodworking store in 2001, we discovered a world of craftsmanship and artistry we did not know existed. The possibilities I saw were endless. I immediately began honing my turning and carving skills. Along the way, I also developed a software package for woodturners, to facilitate the design and assembly of segmented works. As it turned out, my previous forays into art created a perfect foundation for the kind of work I now do.
While some of my work is abstract, I prefer to represent the human spirit in some way. Picasso’s approach to “representation” – presenting the essence of an entire subject at once – and the fluidity of Lino Tagliapietra’s glass art, have managed to find their way into my work. I seek to engage my audience, and it is my goal that none walk away unaffected.
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Arrowmont School of Arts & Craft, Gatlinburg, TN
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2009 Los Angeles Art Show, represented by del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2008-09 Challenge VII: DysFUNctional, Wood Turning Center, Philadelphia, PA
2008 Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
2006 Center for Turning & Furniture Design, Indiana University, Indiana, PA
Our Turn Now: Artists Speak Out in Wood, Ohio Craft Museum, Columbus, OH
2005 Wood Turned, Fleur Gallery, Houston, TX
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
I have been an artist all of my life. One wouldn’t know it by my career in engineering, computers and business. It was in fact, a realization I came to through variety of experiences. In my spare time, I painted various subjects, did some metal sculpture and enjoyed playing music in my home studio. After selling my business in 1985, I decided to build a commercial recording studio. In the process, I discovered that design and construction appealed to me far more than daily studio operations, so I sold the studio to a young man whose passion was recording music!
I made the decision to pursue creative endeavors more in line with my first love, design. When my wife Peggy signed us up for some woodturning classes at a local woodworking store in 2001, we discovered a world of craftsmanship and artistry we did not know existed. The possibilities I saw were endless. I immediately began honing my turning and carving skills. Along the way, I also developed a software package for woodturners, to facilitate the design and assembly of segmented works. As it turned out, my previous forays into art created a perfect foundation for the kind of work I now do.
While some of my work is abstract, I prefer to represent the human spirit in some way. Picasso’s approach to “representation” – presenting the essence of an entire subject at once – and the fluidity of Lino Tagliapietra’s glass art, have managed to find their way into my work. I seek to engage my audience, and it is my goal that none walk away unaffected.