Jamie Bennett
TRUTHSAYERS
© Jamie Bennett
It is oddly puzzling to find the operative descriptor when it comes to Jamie Bennett, an enamelist who primarily works in art jewelry. His field’s designations fail him, for he is also an abstractionist, a composer, a ponderer, and an educator who has transcended the material confines of his medium, as well as its historical and traditional connotations. Bennett’s works teeter towards the realm of painting but are made in all dimensions. Rather than echo what many have already said about him, a keener statement to make would be that the “satisfying and still mystifying act” of enamel is his domain entirely. Through glass powder in every color expertly applied and fired, Bennett translates life’s rhythms and curiosities into fantastical planes.
The spectrum of his inspiration has ranged from the residual soot of a lit match to the many mediations of nature by humans, the result of which are magnified interpretations of pure color experiences, often fragmented into wearable, geometric polyptychs. The time-consuming nature of his work always influenced the nurturing aspect of teaching, and vice versa. Bennett has also been in a classroom for the majority of his career and retired as professor emeritus at his alma mater SUNY (State University of New York).
B. 1948, Philadelphia, PA
Lives and works in High Falls, NY
JW172
Jamie Bennett, In Aerem No. 1, 2019, Enamel and sterling silver. Courtesy of the artist and Sienna Patti Gallery, photography by R & Company.
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Jamie Bennett, Ravena No. 1, 2021, Enamel, sterling silver, and stainless steel. Courtesy of the artist and Sienna Patti Gallery, photography by R & Company.
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Jamie Bennett, Ravena No. 9, 2020, Enamel, sterling silver, and stainless steel. Courtesy of the artist and Sienna Patti Gallery, photography by R & Company.