Virtual Art Tour

Marilyn Bendell, American, born 1925

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Marilyn Bendell trained to become a concert pianist, but at the age of 17 realized that painting was what she preferred to do, although music is still very important to her. "When I start a painting," she says, "I think of the mood and pick the colors and the music I listen to, to match that mood."

Marilyn studied at the American Academy of Art in Chicago and privately with colorist and impressionist Arnold E. Turtle, who honored her by inviting her to paint with him in his studio. She credits an educational background that stressed fundamentals for much of her success.

In the rich tradition of American impressionists, Bendell adds her own unique representation to this popular form by bringing more emotion and vitality to her work than is traditional. She explains, "It's insulting to an observer to explain everything. When something isn't fully explained, there is room for the viewer to dream, to fall into it, to mingle it with personal experience."

Bendell is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce and is listed in Who's Who in American Art and Who's Who of American Women. A resident of Longboat Key, Florida for 30 years, Marilyn moved to Nambe, New Mexico, 20 miles north of Santa Fe, in 1983. Her work is exhibited in prestigious galleries across the United States.