I will be a featured artist at the 40th Anniversary of Our World Underwater this weekend at the Donald E. Stephens Convention center in Rosemont Illinois, Feb 19-21.


This is the largest consumer scuba diving exhibition in the Midwest, and will include seminars, workshops, scuba clinics, an underwater photo film festival, and best of all, my Ocean Colors Art booth, #911.


I will also be debuting an exciting new dimension of my work......silk paintings and scarves.  I feel the silk captures the feel of shimmering water, dappled by waves and sunshine.  I will also have many new small matted watercolor and oil paintings, underwater themed postcards, and assorted prints will be offered at a show special of 40% off, and a free gift with every purchase.


If you are a scuba diver, then Our World Underwater is the place to be this weekend, Feb. 19-21 !

Our World Underwater 2009

Our World Underwater 2009, was held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL , Friday, Feb 20 through Sunday, Feb. 22.

What a whirlwind of activity!

In depth seminars and workshops ranging from camera equipment to learning visual cylinder inspection, started on Friday at 8am and ran throughout the weekend. Presenters were some of the dive industries most noted figures: Stan Waterman, Richie Kohler, Annie Crawley, Bob Sheridan, and the list goes on and on. Friday evening, all day Saturday and Sunday, the exhibit hall opened its doors to about 20,000 visitors walking the aisles to see 200 + exhibitors. Booths consisted of dive travel destinations, camera equipment, SUDS, a kids painting fair with Rogest, dive shops, dive equipment, marine artwork (my booth included) , the Tim Early Foundation, PADI, DAN,DEMA, Diveheart and many more than can be listed here. Dive Buddy stickers were placed with several of the exhibitors and handed out to passing visitors, Divebuddy.com member, Robert Silva, talked with visitors at his booth about his upcoming world record attempt to do the longest freshwater dive.
Friday and Saturday evenings were the scene of exciting film festivals with emcees Michel Gilbert and Nancy McGee, and President of OWU, Pat Hammer, gave out the annual OWU Achievement award to artist and environmental educator, Ron Steven, aka Rogest.
OWU was the brainchild of president, Pat Hammer and started out 39 years ago in the gymnasium of a local high school. It has grown to be the Midwest’s largest consumer dive show. Since 2010 will be the 40th anniversary, plans for the “biggest party ever” are already in progress.
Keep the weekend of Feb. 19-21, 2010 open and join in a great weekend winter getaway and pick up on great travel and dive equipment specials and help Our World Underwater celebrate their 40th milestone.

Coming to an end

Summer is coming to an end and saying its last hoorahs. The leaves are changing colors. The days and nights are starting to get shorter and cooler. Its almost time to put away the shorts and tank tops and bring out the sweaters and gloves. Soups and casseroles are cold weather staples in our house, and I’m always trying out new recipes along with making my old favorites.

I too am coming to the end of my outdoor art shows and turning towards the indoor ‘holiday’ art fairs and scuba diving shows.
I will be heading to the West Palm Beach, Fl. Convention Center for the 4th annual Florida Dive Show on November 15 and 16, 2008. A week later, Nov. 22 and 23 is the MPTV Holiday Art show in Milwaukee, Wi. Then a few shows pending before going to Chicago,Il, for Our World Underwater in Feb. 2009.

I hope I see some of you at these shows. Please stop by and chat.

Four Lakes Scuba Club

While I was manning my art booth at Our World Underwater scuba diving trade show in Chicago this past Feb., a business card was left in my “win a Turtle print” jar from a woman in Madison,Wi.
A few weeks after the show I received an email from her asking if I would like to be a guest speaker at one of their Four Lakes Scuba Club meetings to talk about how I combine my scuba diving and my art. Naturally I was flattered that someone thought my life story was of interest enough to talk to a group about it. On August 13 I made the two hour drive up to Madison and had a great time with the 20+ people who gathered to hear me talk. I showed them examples of my art and the sketchbooks that I use on my diving trips. I explained how I take underwater photographs, compose a painting and use either watercolor or oil paints on the decided subject. Being that the majority of them are also scuba divers, they could appreciate the beauty I see in the squirmy body of an octopus or the sweet face of an Angelfish.
An interesting question and answer session followed. It totally amazed me that what I think of my life as mundane and boring was fascinating to this group. I was very flattered.
I left them with a poem that I wrote and is posted on my Sept. 8th blog entry, “The Oceans Cry.”

I hope to see some of them when I am back in Chicago next February for the 39THAnnual Our World Underwater, the midwests largest consumer scuba diving trade show.




To purchase "Angel" or "Orange Octopus", email me at dvrbon@wi.rr.com
These paintings can be seen on my website : http://www.bonnielynnsart.com/OceanColorsFishes.html
http://www.bonnielynnsart.com/OceanColorsCritters.html

Our World Underwater Show a Success

Well, the weekend was, what I would call, a success for me at Our World Underwater consumer scuba dive show, Donald Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Il.

I had a good booth spot, right on the corner near the concession area, so people sitting and eating/ drinking could view my work, and people walking to and from that area had to pass by me. I had a giveaway drawing of my TURTLE print, (people love freebies!), and a lovely lady in Muskego, WI. was the winner. She was thrilled.

I met many wonderful people........divers/non-divers. Had great feedback on my art; gathered information on what art divers want to see next in my work (whales, nudibranchs, etc), which I will take into consideration for my next paintings, got two possible commissions, and I made some sales.

It was a long weekend out on the "floor", but well worth it. I already have my booth reserved for Feb 20-22, 2009! Hope to see you there.

Our World Underwater

I am furiously preparing to show my artwork in booth # 1011 at Our World Underwater, a scuba diving trade show, in Rosemont Il. The show runs from Friday, Febr. 15 thru Sunday, Febr 17.

There are many booths with scuba equipment, underwater cameras, resorts that offer diving packages, seminars on a multitude of dive relates subjects, a Saturday evening film festival, Scuba Radio will be broadcasting, Team Scuba Nascar will be there...........and so much more. It promises to be a great time!!

I will report on how the weekend was next week.