Liana Bennett — Artist and Art Educator

Liana Bennett is a fine artist and art teacher based in Bothell, Washington, with a career spanning over five decades. Born in North Wales, she moved to Canada as a child and relocated to Los Angeles in 1954. From an early age, she was passionate about drawing; Bennett’s early achievements include winning a Chouinard (now CalArts) scholarship in 1966, alongside fellow recipients from Walt Disney and Gail Storm. She began working professionally as an artist at 19, taking on various studio jobs, and started teaching at age 27, a career she continues to this day.

In 1983, she moved to Seattle and founded Arts Umbrella Art Center in 1984, a space dedicated to fostering young artists’ growth and offering classes and workshops for all ages. The center emphasizes a creative, relaxed, and supportive environment for both youth and adults.

Her artistic practice spans acrylics, oils, and mixed media, with a strong focus on the figure and abstracts. She often draws from personal experiences, places visited, and people known, aiming to create works with emotional and narrative depth. Her work has been exhibited in galleries, juried in shows, and featured in books, and she has won awards in national and local competitions Matzke Fine Art and Design.

Bennett’s style blends the representational and abstract elements, capturing fleeting moments, landscapes, and symbolic imagery. Examples include works like Island Harbor, Islands Were Worlds, and the Roadside Series, which explore everyday scenes and objects Matzke Fine Art and Design.

For more information, her official site is lianabennett.com, and Arts Umbrella’s site
is artsumbrellaartcenter.com.