Wild Medicinal Art
Wild Medicinal Art Annie Kyla Bennett is a painter and mixed media artist whose work is influenced by surrealism, visionary and fantastic realism, as well as botany, philosophy, and ethics, with a concentration on exploring and expressing the unique potency and character of medicinal plants of all kinds. Her current focus in the studio is on remediation, developing a body of artwork exploring methods to help heal and rebalance humanity’s relationship with the Earth. Annie’s studio is part art-making space and part laboratory – with her background in chemistry and obsession with plants, she is experimenting with botanical ink making and other natural art materials.
A resident of Asheville, NC, Annie is a co-founder of Art Garden AVL, a multipurpose maker-space, gallery and garden in the River Arts District, dedicated to supporting the growth of emerging Asheville area artists, activists, and creative community. She shares a studio at Art Garden with Medicine Heart Murals, a collective working to highlight environmental urgency through large-scale public art, of which she is an original member. Annie also founded Spectrum Geometry, an ethically and environmentally sustainable art apparel company, in Asheville in 2007. She is a contributing artist for multiple community-action non-profits, and a resident muralist and live artist at several national art and music festivals. Annie grew up in rural Alaska, loves honeybees, and collects tools and seeds.
Her favorite authors include: Tom Robbins, Daniel Quinn, Naomi Klein, and Michael Pollan. Follow her on instagram @AnnieKylaBee