Artist Spotlight: Polly Bennett

Some of the most compelling art begins not in a studio, but underfoot — in the soil, along a riverbank, or at the edge of a woodland. That’s exactly where you’ll find Polly Bennett, the environmental artist whose work you’ll discover woven throughout the lodge.

Polly’s practice is rooted in a simple but powerful idea: portraying the land, with the land. Graduating from City & Guilds of London Art School, she has spent years developing a craft that blurs the line between art and landscape — collecting, observing, and transforming what she finds in the natural world into tactile, immersive works that carry the history and texture of the places they came from.

We caught up with Polly to chat through her creative process and the inspiration behind her work.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

“I am an environmental artist ‘portraying the land, with the land’ through traditional craftsmanship, using locally sourced materials that guide my process. In 2020 I founded my company, POLBEN’s Pigment, where I celebrate and sell sustainable artist pigments and inks created from natural materials I source myself.”

What is your creative process?

“My art practice is very process and material-led, so it often begins when I’m outside exploring a landscape. I collect things, take colour swatches, and create artwork in situ with the found items. These activities mark the start of a project and serve as research. The outdoors is as much my studio or lab as my physical workspace.”

Describe your work in three words.

“Earthy. Eclectic. Historical-process.”

What music do you listen to while you’re creating?

“Currently, I’m playing a lot of nostalgic music like Keane and Johnny Flynn, as well as ambient producers like Nujabes.”

If Polly’s unique approach has inspired you, workshops with her are now available to book. Get in touch with the team to find out more, and explore more of her work at pollybennett.com.