Agathe Bennich                                                                             statement — contact — paintings
	Statement: Agathe Bennich began painting while living in Italy in the early sixties. Her visual vocabulary has been expanding ever since. After living in New York City and Mexico, she settled in San Francisco commencing her studies of the visual arts at San Francisco State University and at the San Francisco Art Institute where she earned her BFA and MFA degrees.   Her vision is a continuous evolution. From the early landscape paintings in Italy and Mexico the paintings grew to become complex shaped canvasses bearing witness to the human condition, a recurring theme in her work. After living and teaching in France and Hawaii, her works became deeply involved with depicting an intense psychological from of portrait painting. During this period she received many commissions. In 1995 she moved to Wales, U. K. for a year in order to submerge herself completely with her painterly processes. Her work grew immensely. Now the painterly process has become intimately integrated with her living. Mostly initiated by a particular moment in time and developed through the process of searching for tangible clues to shape the path to the finished work which attains the grandeur of elaborate tapestries constructed by love. “The works of Agahte Bennich drive us into a new direction, granting us passage into fresh territory. A haunting gift from a powerful artist.” Leslie Simon, Chair, Women’s Deparmtnet – City College of San Francisco. “Your work caused quite a stir and I heard it said that it was the best art we have shown to date. I wanted to let you know how much I loved seeing your work at the C.G. Jung Institute.” Susan Bostrom-Wong. “Your internal poetry– I won’t say symbolism – is vital without being intrusive – which matters here, where art is preferable when it conveys the psyche.” Richard Flanagin, PhD., Curator, the C.G. Jung Institute, San Francisco, Ca, 1996 The Process: I work predominantly, on un-stretched canvas that I first cover with acrylic art medium. This creates a rough surface, resisting whatever medium I choose to start with. Starting with making marks all over the surface, I work in a “not-knowing.” I might start to push a feeling, making more marks, layering or veiling with transparent stains. Occasionally, subject matter appears through the markings. Whatever prevails is what I pursue. The experience is deepened while dealing with the technical and emotional responses, always attempting to stay with the mood found. If I find myself constructed by what-is-happening, the colors or whatever has appeared, I will radically alter the work by another arbitrary process applied on top of what has already happened. The search is for a particular space or layering, ordering the “found” into an organic wholeness. When the painting is nearly completed, I stain or dye strips of canvas to make a frame for the work. I stitch the frame to the painting and finish by sewing the edges. Then grommets are added in order to hang the painting like a tapestry.