Dan Bennett

Born in Kent in 1975, Dan Bennett is a Portuguese-based artist known for his psychedelic landscapes. His work is influenced by an interest in phosphenes, intricate swirling patterns of colour that form behind closed eyelids, as well as a love of pattern making in indigenous Australian, African, and Islamic art.

Uniting these ideas, Bennett’s art is characterised by a vibrant use of colour and repeated patterns of circles, spirals, and lines which reflect a spiritual connection between land and identity. The patterns in his paintings create immersive dreamscapes which infuse his works with emotion.

Style and Approach

Dan Bennett’s inspiration comes from immersing himself in nature. The artist spends weeks at a time living in the landscape: sleeping outdoors, hiking trails, and swimming in rivers. Back in his studio, he works in oil and acrylic, aiming to capture the memories and emotions provoked by the places he visits. He describes this process as a kind of meditation.

Each project begins with priming the canvas with white gesso to make it completely smooth – a blank page onto which the mind can focus, and expression can come to life. The artworks become part factual documentation and part fantasy landscape, blending the physical and the intangible.

The art of Dan Bennett has a unique use of colour and brushwork that is reminiscent of the French Fauvist movement, which used vibrant oil paint to enhance the tones of the natural world.

Dan Bennett’s CV and Exhibitions

Having studied at Leeds University, Bennett has gone on to showcase his paintings in group and solo exhibitions to the UK and American public. In 2006, he won the Celeste Art Prize. Bennett has exhibited his work at fairs and galleries in New York, London, Brighton and Cambridge.

Alongside his expressive, abstract oil landscapes, in other exhibitions, the artist shifts to animated botanical studies. Through these works Bennett explores the dynamics of plants across time – photosynthesis, pollination, and germination – and the accidental beauty of the English city garden. You can find Dan Bennett art for sale here on Rise Art’s website.