Julie Bennett is a portrait painter living and working in London. Her bold, unapologetically confident portraits appropriate pop culture icons from the music industry and art world, creating contemporary homages to the likes of David Bowie, Elvis, Frida Kahlo, Boy George, Patti Smith, and Her Majesty The Queen.

Defined as British Pop Art, her dripping wet, vibrant, colourful broad-brush marks give the appearance of canvases being fresh out of the studio. Working mostly in oil, led by the paint, she tries to capture the emotional charge of the individual, creating an iconic work of art.

Bennett studied painting at Camberwell College of Arts where she crafted and explored the use of mark-making to convey her fascination with the human face and the immediacy of her paint handling.

Bennett is driven by her lifelong obsession with music and art, spending her teenage years working at a record shop and after graduation, working as a graphic designer at some of the top UK music and celebrity magazines, She is a genuine fan of many of the celebrities she paints.

Bennett is a long term member of South London Women Artists. She was a prize winner at Strata, London and a finalist at DegreeArt’s ‘Signature Art Awards’. Her works are held in a number of private collections in the UK and internationally.

Bennett is currently the artist in residence at Bankside Hotel, an independent 5-star hotel set on the culturally vibrant South Bank, for anyone with a passion for culture, art and high-quality food. Bennett will be creating a series of portrait paintings #BanksideArtIcons inspired by art icons who have influenced or inspired the artist’s life and practice. The working artist studio is open to the public every day from 21st June through to 1st August, if you would like to visit please contact DegreeArt who will happily arrange an appointment for you.

Bennett's #BanksideArtIcons series will include a combination of both historical and contemporary art icons. Painting both the famous and not so famous art icons, Julie hopes to provide the viewer with an insight into the artists’ lives from an educational and engaging approach. Overall, Bennett aims to introduce viewers to the unknown faces of so many well-known names of so many iconic artists.

There will be a range of physical events that you can book to attend either in person or via zoom including an ‘Artist Salon’ gathering with like-minded creatives, an 'Artist Talk', hosted by an independent curator and award-winning art dealer and author Gita Joshi, a 'Meet The Artist' evening with canapes and cocktails, and a final exhibition and later in the Autumn, there will be a 'Dine With The Artist' dinner with Julie Bennett as an end of residency celebration which can be booked directly through DegreeArt.

Bennett will be taking over the Contemporary Collective Instagram account during her residency to document her experience as an artist in residence so do follow the account.