Elton Bennett (1910-1974) grew up on the Washington coast, where mill work, fishing and dredging are common occupations. He spent many years working along the shore. Until his marriage in 1946, Bennett was discouraged from pursuing his love of art. He had very little formal training—a year at Washington State when he was 17 and two years after World War II on the G.I. bill at the Portland Art Museum School. Working several jobs, he finally saved enough money to pursue his dream in 1956. Elton Bennett chose silkscreen printing for his medium. He would always use a great number of screens and colors in infinite combinations so that each finished serigraph was a unique work of art. Bennett’s serigraphs depict the Pacific Northwest coastal environment and give glimpses of the working lives of the people the artist knew and worked with all his life.