Brian Bennett FROI (1927-2022)
Brian Bennett. Credit: Berkhamsted Group
Brian Bennett was born in Olney, Buckinghamshire and was taught English at school by Peter Greenham RA, who inspired him to become a painter. Bennett studied part-time at Ruskin School of Drawing, Oxford (1950) and Regent Street Polytechnic (1956). In 1954, he obtained an Honours Degree in History from Oxford University.
Brian painted in oils with a knife, mostly landscapes of The Chilterns, where he lived, concentrating on wild flowers that grow on the chalk and on the wide panoramic views from the escarpment. He painted almost exclusively with a painting knife (not a palette knife) which he modified to his own requirements. He preferred to work on site despite the often very strong prevailing South Western winds. The large pieces were produced in his studio, based on sketches and smaller outdoor work. He found that photographs were of limited value compared with experience and memory, although he did use them from time to time. Large and more studied work may have required pencil sketches to confirm the composition, but generally he just brushed a few compositional marks with very dilute paint on the canvas before he began, in earnest, with his knife. Brian Bennett was elected as a member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI) in 1973 and has shown works in the ROI Annual Exhibition ever since. Bennett was President of the Institute from 1987 until 1995, when he was elected as a Fellow of the ROI. He was Governor of the Federation of British Artists from 1990 until 1996.
Brian also exhibited his work annually at the Hawker Gallery in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, was included in several major national society exhibitions and won multiple Prizes and Awards over the course of his career.
Today, you can find his work in various private art collections in the USA, Japan and Europe including those of HRH The Prince Edward, HRH The Duchess of Gloucester and the Duchess of York.
