Portrait Painting Around The World

Bennett was born in Amsterdam, New York in the United States and studied fine arts at the State University of New York State at New Paltz. Stephen has traced his own ancestry back to the Indigenous people of Scotland. He comes from a long line of lowlanders of the Mackintosh Clan.

Young, old, joyful and withered faces fill his large vibrant canvases. Bennett has a keen sense of observation, and the ability to bring out the beauty of the human face. He succeeds in his artistic endeavors thanks to his appreciation of human diversity, his generosity and his desire to understand others. He has a special ability to express and bring life to a face by his play with light and colors. Bennett’s paintings entice us to look deeply into the eyes of his subjects to realize that we all share a common humanity. For him, a face is a treasure.

His work has been used to promote and preserve cultures with exhibitions in the United States, Mexico, St. Martin, Panama, French Polynesia, the Seychelles, Tanzania, Australia, China and Malaysia. He has traveled to over 50 countries and in 2011, he explored China, Mongolia and Tibet—those subsequent portraits were included in the United Nations Postage Administration (UNPA) for 2012. A total of three series of stamps have been produced by the UNPA in 2009, 2010 and 2012 of Stephen’s work.

All too often indigenous peoples are pushed to the fringes of modern society. The power of Bennett’s colorful portraits and their public exhibition helps return the beauty and relevancy of indigenous people to a genuine level of social and cultural importance, much to the benefit of us all.

In 2003, Mr. Bennett founded Faces of the World, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation that is dedicated to expanding global awareness of people through art education and cultural exchange. In each country he visits, he teaches portrait workshops and exhibits his portraits that together help children and adults alike take pride in their culture through portraiture. Faces of the World, Inc. is funded from the sale of Bennett’s paintings, donations and sponsorship. For more information please visit www.facesoftheworld.net.

Mr. Bennett states, “I am a portrait painter because of my passion for the wonderful diversity of the world’s people. My portraits convey a fusion of my feelings for each subject with an intuitive use of color. I intensify them in celebration of that person’s existence. I hope my portraits reveal that every person of every race and culture is interconnected, indispensable and radiant with astonishing beauty.” Bennett extends an invitation to all to suggest new ways in which his work can be used as a forum for cultural awareness.