Mark Bennion: In Conversation
Sunday, November 8, at noon (doors open at 11am with coffee and pastries)
Vashon Center for the Arts Gallery
Join us for a panel discussion of stories and more, remembering Vashon artist Mark Bennion (1948–2025). His daughter Whitnie Bennion and Sarah Traver of Traver Gallery, joined by friends and family, discuss his remarkable life and artistic legacy.
The conversation accompanies Mark Bennion: Untitled, on view November 6–29. The exhibition gathers five decades of Bennion’s work, from early paintings and works on paper to sculpture, mixed media, and his Frescoes and Tantra Series. Born in Seattle, Bennion exhibited across the United States, Canada, and Europe beginning in 1968. Over many years he developed his own “fresco” technique, building up oil and dry pigment on plaster and paper, then sanding and repainting, sometimes through ten or more layers. He also made large geometric welded-steel sculpture and outdoor installations. A practicing Buddhist for much of his adult life, he hoped his work would give viewers a moment of quiet and reflection.