Stephen Bennett is an American portrait painter living in New York City. He makes annual trips around the world to paint portraits of indigenous peoples. Young, old, joyful, and withered faces populate these vibrant canvases, celebrating a variety of ethnic strains in a tapestry painted with strong brushwork. Stephen's objective is to share his experiences of the diversity of human life. His work has been used to promote and preserve cultures in the United States, Mexico, St. Martin, Panama, French Polynesia, the Seychelles, Tanzania, Namibia, Borneo and Australia. He extends an invitation to all to suggest new ways in which his work can be used as a forum for cultural awareness. In 2001 he spent 7 months painting in Tanzania. In 2002 he painted the Himba and Kung (San) peoples of Namibia. In 2003 he circumnavigated Australia to learn about, and paint its people.

Stephen Bennett has lead workshops for hospitalized children and school children to inspire them to heal and to help others.

In New Orleans, our Soaringwords delegation enjoyed transformative experiences by sharing a full-day Soaringwords program with 200 children at Gauthier Elementary School, in St. Bernard Parish, which was one of the hardest hit areas by Hurricane Katrina. All of the children benefited from a SoaringFaces portrait workshop with our own Soaringwords Artist-in-residence Stephen Bennett.

To learn more about Stephen's work go to www.theportraitpainter.com