Gale Bennett (1939-2008) was an internationally renowned artist and founder of the ArtStudy Giverny school in Giverny, France. A native of southwest Florida, Bennett studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York. His eclectic modern painting style drew from Abstract Expressionism, Impressionism, Cubism, and Renaissance art. Nature provided his primary inspiration. In 2008, Bennett received a lifetime achievement award from the Angels of the Arts. Until his death, Bennett divided his time between France and Florida.

1. GALE BENNETT (1939-2008)
was Founder and Director of ArtStudy Giverny
in Giverny, France, a school for artists
and photographers celebrating its
14th anniversary in 2009.
A native of SW Florida, Bennett studied at
the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
The works of this internationally-known artist
can be found in collections throughout the US,
as well as in Canada, Europe, Japan, and
Australia.
For Gale : Nature in all forms provided his
primary inspiration.
His modern eclectic painting style included
references to Abstract Expressionism,
Impressionism, Cubism, and even
Renaissance art.
In 2008 Bennett was honored with the “Lifetime
Achievement” award given annually by
the “Angels of the Arts”.
Until his death in 2008, Gale and his wife,
Cello, divided their time between Giverny,
France and Southwest Florida.

2. After the Storm
“If artists simply
copy what they see,
where does that
leave imagination,
feelings, or thoughts
about life ?”

3. Early Morning Mist on the Pond
“What master artists do
with subject matter
in their best works
is to simplify
the literal,
story-telling details
and emphasize-
perhaps even
exaggerate
the pictorial, universally
symbolic aspects of
their subjects.”

4. The Birth of a Landscape
“The purpose of fine art is
to express eternal truths
about life in an original way,
in order to
re-awaken
the viewers’ awareness
of the world around them.”

5. Near the Sea
The eyes cannot think.
The mind cannot see.
The imagination cannot copy.

6. Near
the Somme Basin
“The eyes see.
They are the source of all truth in visual art.
They have no ulterior motives, no hidden agenda,
no emotions, no interpretive powers.
Visual reality is what the eyes actually see.”

7. Palm Clouds
“The mind thinks.
It interprets,
usually based on
physical experience,
which is why
it is subject to error
in questions of visual
reality.”

8. Pine Island Sound
“The imagination creates.
This inborn creative tool
takes everything the eyes
discover and helps the artist
turn it into art.”

9. The Blue Hour
“Anything you see
in a picture either
visually advances to your
eyes
or recedes from them.”

10. The Riviere Mystique
“Spatial tension creates
the situation artists
strive for known as
‘solid space’.”
Spatial focus
in the painting
is achieved when
every element
is ‘locked in’
so no element,
whether a tree or
even a brush stroke,
moves visually forward
or backward ‘unchecked.’

11. When Poppies Dream of the Sea
“If you
are struggling
with color look to
Nature.”

12. The following elements support contrast by either
advancing to our eyes or receding from them:
ADVANCES:
Light
Bright color
Warm color
Large Shapes
Simple shapes
Positive shapes
Convex shapes
Perfectly smooth curves
Hard edges
Thick lines
Horizontal movement
Animated movement
Asymmetrical arrangements
RECEDES:
Dark
Soft or dull color
Cool color
Small shapes
Detailed shapes
Negative shapes
Concave shapes
Angled shapes
Soft edges
Thin lines
Vertical movement
Static movement
Symmetrical arrangements
“One of the biggest keys to making paintings ‘sing’ is to check the list above
to make sure contrast elements are being used appropriately.”

13. The Pond
“Since there are
no straight lines
in Nature,
artists need
to approach them
with caution!”

14. Shaman
“The organization of
a dance is referred to
as choreography.
This term can be
borrowed to refer
to the organization
of movement,
the dynamic dance
of perspective,
running through a
painting.”

15. Woman in the Wind
“Drawing
(the essence of composition)
is about shapes,
not about things.
Shapes can
be ‘negative’ spaces or
background.
Drawing a line
always creates
two shapes-
equally strong or
equally weak.
Draw on both sides
of the line!”

16. Sentinel
“Use both
warm and cool elements
throughout your painting.
This makes your painting
glow!”

17. Cello
Your are the lighting director
of your paintings.
Avoid directional light.
God has more than one
light bulb!