Freewheeling

Carol Bennett takes her audience on a "temporary reprise from the ordinary"

Painter Carol Bennett undergoes a "suspension of self" when she paints. It's an experience not unlike swimming; when her work is flowing, time slows down and the unexpected floats up to the surface.

Her latest group of works, on exhibit at The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center through Jan. 8, comprise large- and small-scale works on wood, and all have an ocean theme, befitting the show's title "Flow."

Large works of swimmers underwater capture the timeless, peaceful freedom of the experience. Other pieces, such as her plugfish works, are clever abstracts that capture the lifestyle of sea life.

Bennett describes her approach to painting as "freewheeling" -- "I have a freewheeling approach to technique and materials; hypothesis, experiment and conclusion ... I am intrigued by the nature of materials and the nature of things." Consequently, her works involve adding and subtracting, whether it be sanding or recoating, and she utilizes ink, paint, mica and wax in experimental combinations that are unique to each piece.

Bennett's work is showing at the center along with those of Charlotte Nairn and Alison Moritsugu.

The Contemporary Museum at First Hawaiian Center is located at 999 Bishop St. Gallery hours are the same as banking hours: 8:30 to 4 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays and 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays. The center is closed on weekends and holidays. Call 526-0232.