Patricia Bennett
One Mile North, One Mile South: Oil Paintings of Baltimore by Patricia Bennett
Antreasian Gallery’s November show will feature color-drenched, realist oil paintings of Baltimore that will delight the eye while intriguing the brain: Artist Patricia Bennett explores urban landscapes from the tiny nooks of Guildford to the grittier old architecture of North Avenue. The show offers color-drenched interpretations of Baltimore’s past and present-which are often intermingled and some smaller drawings-one mile north and one mile south along St. Paul Street. Opening Reception will be November 7th 4-8 PM.
Baltimore-based artist and Schuler School of Fine Arts graduate Patricia Bennett has created a suite of paintings and drawings to depict scenes of life and architecture along one mile of Saint Paul Street in Baltimore, Maryland. Bennett works full-time as an artist. Many of you already know Patricia is a fine painter
Bennett is an accomplished young artist, 32, who brings a rigorous realist training and unique color vision to her work. This is Bennett’s third solo show, after exhibiting in solo shows in Bethesda and Monkton, Maryland. Her work also has been included in a group show at Maryland Hall in Annapolis, published in Baltimore Magazine, and Bennett’s still-life work has been a two-time finalist for Artist Magazine’s national contest in 2005 and 2007. She has studied at The Schuler School of Fine Arts in Baltimore, The Art Institute of Chicago, and Zoll Studio.
“There is a two-mile corridor in Baltimore City, built for the wealthy in the 1800s,” says Bennett. “Mostly rowhouses of stone and brick, Saint Paul Street culminates near Greenway in the lovely Guilford neighborhood: an assortment of ample houses and mansions surrounding Sherwood Gardens. The craftsmanship of these buildings and homes cannot be repeated. As time passes, some new owners will tear them down and rebuild. Therefore, part of Baltimore’s glorious history will be lost.”
Bennett explains that the project emerged “from seeing these houses every day. The mansions are quiet; most of the rowhouses that once contained entire families and their servants now are rental units for students. Some still are single family homes. Today from south to north, there is a direct increase of prosperity. I live on this corridor one mile north of the poverty, and one mile south of the prosperity. The show aims to capture the beauty of the houses along with today’s inhabitants.”