Name: 80 x 64, Acrylic on canvas, XXXXXXX, 2000
Bennett met this Maasai woman at an elder initiation ceremony near Mount Meru. He recalls the lengthy negotiations he had with her in order to take her picture. Her ears, neck and wrists were adorned with numerous styles of typical Maasai beaded jewelry. Interestingly, she also wore the room number tags from hotel keys. Her colorful personality, as perceived by Bennett, is reflected in the painting.
The title of the painting was decided after a great deal of time had been spent rendering the large green bead. Bennett concluded that the bead was an essential element of the painting.