An oil painter and artistic craftsman, Chip Bennett draws inspiration from decades of traversing the world, from the mountain slopes in Kitzbühel, Austria, as a ski instructor/guide and world-record holder in endurance skiing, to free climbing in the Himalaya. With roots in New York, growing up in New England and settling in historic East Greenwich, Rhode Island where his painting subjects range from Monet-inspired impressionistic landscapes to Lucian Freud-esque canines, from abstract expressionism to hyperrealist portraits: all an amalgamation of a variety of styles, and a wink and a nod to the greats.

Howard "Chip" Bennett Jr. was born in Bethpage, New York and raised in Connecticut by his father Dr. Howard Budd Bennett, Sr., and Joan Ann Mary (Scanlon), also an artist. With parents who were educators and administrative leaders, Bennett developed a natural work ethic and penchant for outdoor life. One of his favorite quotes is a lyrical paraphrasing of Salvador Dali: "While intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings, far more tragic, art without passion is a bird that never sings."

Also a docent for the Varnum House Museum in East Greenwich, RI, Bennett has restored historic portraits, and antique frames, and, when he is not making art himself, he collects other artists' works with wanton disregard for his own wall space.

Proud father of Matthew and Daniel Bennett, and husband to Janice Dru-Bennett, with sons Jeremy and Micah Dru, Bennett follows in his father's footsteps as a “quintessential" family man.

A graduate of University of Hartford where he studied History/Political Science, Bennett also completed advanced study at Universitat Salzburg, University of Massachusetts, and University of Connecticut.

Source/Submitted by: Janice Dru-Bennett (wife of Chip Bennett)