Fall - 2022

52 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 2 P ainter, sculptor, gallery owner. All three of these occupations have come to Ashley naturally. Her father, Bob Bennett, and his twin brother,Tom, were renowned sculptors and, at one point, owned 22 galleries across the U.S.“I grew up in a bronze foundry,” she says,“sur- rounded by art.” Hers was not a traditional path. “I quickly learned that art school was not for me. I got my education i n the gallery.” There were quite a few painters around, and Ashley began experimenting with painting and now, “It’s become one of my favorite mediums.” The first Bennett Sculpture Gallery was in the Carmel Highlands, later relo- cating to downtown Carmel.That location was closed following the Bennett brothers’ passing. “My mother, Debi Bennett, decided it was time to reopen the gallery in 2012, returning to our original Carmel location on San Carlos. We have since moved to Dolores between Fifth and Sixth,” Ashley says. “All roads lead back to Carmel. I feel blessed to continue the family business.” Ashley works in a studio space in the Bennett Sculpture Gallery, con- tinuing a longtime Carmel artist colony tradition. “There are so many artist-owned galleries here. It’s a great synergy.” Among many projects, Ashley is honored to be creating a sculpture for the AT&T Pebble Beach’s “Jack Lemmon Award” given to the tourney’s most valuable amateur. For more information, visit www.bennettsculpturecarmel.com or call 831/626-3054. — Michael Chatfield ART I ST PROF I L E Ashley Bennett Stoddard Photo: Kelli Uldall