Bobbi Bennett

Bobbi Bennett is a California-based photographer known for creating immersive environments both in the studio and on location. Bennett’s surfboard art represents an exciting extension of her photographic practice. While curating Gallery Montecito, she was inspired to develop a playful concept for a hotel installation and began translating her photography onto vintage surfboards. An avid surfer in Southern California, Bennett partnered with Santa Barbara-based surfboard company Channel Islands.
For her first surfboard, Bennett applied her photograph Sexy Palm to a vintage Channel Islands board, using a technique she developed through her resin-based artwork. The photograph is vacuum-mounted to the board, then coated with resin and finished with a torch to create a distinctive, glass-like appearance. After completing the first board, she exhibited it in the gallery, where it was purchased by a major art collector.
The success of the first piece inspired Bennett to create a larger collection of “Art Boards,” incorporating a variety of themes and images. The boards quickly gained popularity, leading her to establish a company, Stoked, dedicated to the production of this new line. Her unique Art Board style has attracted commissions from notable clients, including Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys.
Bennett’s imagery has been widely collected internationally and has received numerous awards. Her work is part of the permanent collection of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and was recognized by the prestigious International “Exposure” Award. Her photograph Fallen Angels was also included in the winning collection at the Louvre in Paris.