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Born
in Wisconsin and growing up in the Midwest, many summers spent on an
uncle's farm, Karen Bonnie expressed her love for horses through her
drawing pencils. It was her admiration for these noble animals that
spurred her interest in western history, cowboy legend and Native
American horse cultures. While re-training retired race horses for
the dressage arena as a hobby, she expanded her commercial
photography career into advertising and graphic design. In 1991,
Karen drew on her knowledge of ancient and traditional techniques to
start up an award-winning buckskin garment company.
It was when she met Linda and Dean St. Clair that she took the leap
into fine art as a profession, relocating from New Mexico to Del
Norte, Colorado where she started painting. The St.Clairs were
generous with their knowledge of painting and marketing within the
art world.
 Since
2000, Karen has been rendering the objects of her passion.....modern
and historical ranching, Native American culture, wilderness,
wildlife and, of course, horses........in the vibrant, fluid colors
that are only achievable in oil paints, a medium that she finds like
a living thing, tactile and flowing. She plays music of all genres,
often dancing in her studio while she paints. "I see horses as
heroic, powerful, fun-loving and affectionate beings. Their
relationships within the herd so often reflect those of our own, the
human herd, and that is how I like to portray my favorite subject.”
Water is a common thread that runs through many of her works as
well, a spiritual symbol that unites all of us in a way that is
unspoken. “I have been fortunate to find cowboys and, particularly,
cowgirls willing to teach me cowography; I am living every kid’s
dream, riding in these high Colorado mountains after cows, building
a spiritual connection with my beloved partner horses. Only through
fully living your very unique life do you have something to offer as
a painter, the adventure and the trials, the beauty and the wrecks.
All of it, everything that went before, goes into the art.” She
feels it is crucial to paint what she knows, so her westerns are
carefully researched and are based on personal experience or that of
her cowboy subjects, all of whom are consummate storytellers.
Karen’s work is represented by six major galleries, and is shown in
a number of juried and invitational shows. In 2004 she was given the
Tuffy Berg Award for “Best New Artist” at the annual Charles M.
Russell Museum Show and Sale in Great Falls, Montana.
Karen is grateful that the surrounding community of ranchers and
farmers are willing to provide access to her subject matter, and
that they support and inspire her in her admiring portrayal of
cowboy and horse culture in its present-day reality, and of all
things "of the Horse".
P HILOSOPHY
“I have been fortunate to find cowboys and, particularly cowgirls
who would teach me cowography; I am living every kid’s dream, riding
in these high Colorado mountains after cows, building a spiritual
connection with my beloved partner horses. Only through fully living
your very unique life do you have something to offer as a painter,
the adventure and the trials, the beauty and the wrecks. All of it,
everything that went before, goes into the art.”
GOAL
I like to think that when a person views one of my paintings, I am
sharing with them the sheer joy I had in painting it, that they will
feel the music, dance with me, laugh with me, reminisce on simpler
times…and whether or not they appreciate horses to feel the power
and beauty of these perfectly designed creatures.
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