Hello
My name is Bethany Bennett. I am an artist, teacher, ally, advocate and activist.
I make art for myself which is on display here under the 'Artwork' tab, but I also take commissions for Paintings, Murals and Drawings on all sorts of materials and surfaces. Feel free to reach out and contact me at (386) 316-4424 if you are looking for custom work.
My Story
I am one of four daughters. I was born in 1985. My father and mother brought myself and my three sisters up in the southern baptist church, as my father was a pastor. He was the bad kind of pastor. The kind that stereotypes are based on. His life and actions negatively impacted my sisters and I. Diagnosed with mental illness at the age of 10, art is the one constant that can get me out of my head. And when I'm in that space I feel compelled to make art work to examine, explain or question my upbringing, surroundings and identity. As well as the social structures that are set up systematically to oppress women, like monotheism. As an ex evangelical, it is in my nature to be curious for answers.
As a young and proud mother at the age of 17, life has had its way of picking me up when I could not.
My son, now a man himself, is my greatest accomplishment. Whom I raised while going to school and working, while also battling alcoholism and what I know now was PTSD. I started self medicating in various modes in middle school, self harm, self destruct, repeat. I finally got out of the cycle after many years of self examination, therapy and lots of art making. My focus now is to try and empower others with the gift that art has given me, self expression.
Being a young single mother emboldened me to seek a career to provide for my son. I started college right away and fell in love with studio art. I had dappled in theater, clothing design and ceramics in high school, but nothing like the classes I took in college. I knew that was where I wanted to be, where I wanted to work. I earned my Bachelors degree and then my Masters Degree in 2016. That is when I sought a job at the local Atlantic Center for the Arts, whom I have been working with since 2016.
I have also been teaching as an adjunct professor for Daytona State College since 2019, both of these opportunities have broadened my understanding of being an artist and an art instructor to all age groups and demographics. I also recently earned my 200 Hr Yoga Teacher Training. So, I've been incorporating yoga into some of my painting workshops. My intention is to push self expression.
I intend to promote it to all those I instruct, whether its in a yoga, drawing, art journaling or painting class. That is my job here.