by Pam Eggemeyer
Snow Day – Oil on linen, 40 x 60, by
Karen Bonnie
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Born in Wisconsin and raised 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 retraining retired racehorses 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.
Since 2000, Karen has been rendering the objects
of her passion – modern and historical ranching, Native American culture,
wilderness, wildlife and, of course, horses. The vibrant, fluid colors are
only achievable in oil paints, a medium that she finds like a living thing
– tactile and flowing.
Karen 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.
The Chase – Oil framed, sold, 22 x 30,
by Karen Bonnie.
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“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.
“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
and reminisce on simpler times. And whether or not they appreciate horses,
I hope they feel the power and beauty of these perfectly designed
creatures.”
Author Pam Eggemeyer is the owner of Spirits in the
Wind Gallery in Golden, Colorado, and represents Karen Bonnie. Visit their
web site at
www.spiritsinthewindgallery.com.
Colorado
oil painter Karen Bonnie has won the 2004 Ralph "Tuffy" Berg Award
for being the best emerging artist in this year's C.M. Russell
Auction of Original Western Art, auction officials announced
Thursday.