Stephen Bennett, The Portrait Painter

Stephen Bennett is an amazingly talented American artist. I was lucky enough to catch some of his "Faces of the World" exhibition in Dubai back in January. The exhibit featured a number of works by Bennett at the Atlantis hotel's East Gallery, and we just happened to be walking by as he was working on one of his pieces late one evening. Stephen is known world wide for his breathtaking portraits of indigenous people from all around the world. I think what sets his work apart is his bold and descriptive use of colour, and how he uses this as a vehicle through which he is able to achieve remarkable detail and personality, all in a single human face. He often works with large scales, and aims to have the viewer experience our "common humanity". He is also the founder of a non-profit organization also named "Faces of the World" which aims to increase and support cultural pride all around the world, and which is actually funded partly from the sales of his own paintings. http://www.facesoftheworld.net/
Stephen Bennett. Check it out.