Samantha Bennett was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis when she was nine months old. Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes surrounding your brain and spinal cord and is a serious condition. It’s also tricky to spot, so by the time doctors realized Bennett was infected, they had to work hard to save her arms and legs.
Bennett had toes on her right foot amputated and endured critical scarring on her feet. She had skin grafts done and a complete facial reconstruction.
Art came into play when she was very young. Bennett’s mom was a nurse, so she spent a lot of time in hospitals. While she was there, she would always ask for pens and paper to draw. From there, her parents encouraged her to stick with it and keep going.
“When I was little it was a struggle for me to do a lot of sports,” Bennett says. “So the fact that I could draw… my parents encouraged that.”
She continued to study art at Newark High School and took private lessons. Later on, she attended CCAD and discovered a new art form.
“I really didn’t get into painting until CCAD,” Bennett says. “But when I started, I just loved it.”
Immediately Bennett excelled and wanted to push the envelope even more. Delving into colors, she painted her subjects with a different array of shades that gave her paintings more personality.
“Almost anyone can learn how to do a realistic portrait with the right technical instructions,” she says. “So I wanted to find a way to separate my art.”
When Bennett’s art began popping up all over Columbus, she did an interview where someone bravely asked her something no one had ever questioned before. How did her missing fingers and other lasting effects of meningitis change the way she did art?
“That’s when I started to reflect and think that I’d been doing art differently than most people my entire life,” Bennett says. “And I just realized it.”
She appreciated how the question was asked because up until then, most people simply wondered rather than acknowledging her differences.
“I just think it’s important to teach kids that what makes you different makes you better.” - Samantha Bennett
“It probably helped, me being oblivious,” she says. “Yeah, I paint with my fingers, or hold my paintbrush differently.”
When Bennett first began gaining traction in Columbus, she was showing art at the Hayley Gallery in New Albany. She says Hayley was one of the best mentors she’s had, and helped instill confidence in her.
“Hayley said I was the first artist to ever come into the gallery and say, ‘My prices are too high I don’t want to charge people that much,’” Bennett says, laughing. “Honestly I’m more likely to just hand away art or donate it than sell it for a really high price.”
“I want my artwork to be attainable to people,” she says. “I don’t want it to be inaccessible. Everyone should be able to enjoy and own art.”
Though she’s been featured in galleries, Bennett truly loves when her art is in public places. She has paintings all over Columbus, in doctor’s offices, businesses, schools – her most well-received piece is a skyline of the city.
In the future, Bennett hopes to merge teaching with her passion for art.
“I just think it’s important to teach kids that what makes you different makes you better,” she says. “You can have a scar and still find yourself beautiful. Your differences make you awesome.”
Mallory Arnold is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.
