Celebrating Life in the Sea

 Painting colorful underwater subjects is an expression of my love and respect for our oceans.
Finding inspiration and then creating works of art is a problem often faced by artists.  My inspiration comes from the underwater photos I take as reference material of the sea life, fishes and corals.  I then let the subjects dictate if the piece will work better in watercolor or oil paints.  The transparency of watercolor's on the smooth surface of hot pressed paper may be what is needed for the delicate shape of a triggerfish or the heavier application of oil paints on canvas for the bulkier body of an octopus or shark.

When people see my art, I would like for them to feel happy and invigorated by the bright colors I use and to feel, if just for a moment, that they have entered this beautiful underwater worlk and become a part of my adventures.

A delicate balance exists between our lives and with that of the oceans.  Educating and increasing public awareness through my art is my mission to get people to think about the health and survival of our oceans for future generations to enjoy.

7 Reasons Why I Scuba Dive

7 Reasons Why I Scuba Dive:

Diving in Cozumel

1. Appreciation for beauty: I love color--in my art and in the world around me.  The colors in the fishes and corals I see underwater are so spectacular and beautiful that it brings tears to my eyes at times when I think that HE created it all.

2. Sense of Adventure:  I love trying new things.  I guess I have a touch of reckless abandon.  People always told me I couldn't, ........but I can !

3. Photography: Photography with my Nikonos V underwater camera make the reference material I use for my underwater themed watercolors and oil paintings.

4. Peaceful Feelings: Underwater, I am alone with my thoughts.  All I hear is my own breathing.  Comfortable, relaxed feelings take over my body and mind.

5. Commaderie: I have something wonderful in common with the three girls I dive with and the people we meet on our dive trips.

6. Learn respect: Seeing life under the sea can do nothing but make one respect our environment and want to preserve it.

7. Educating: As I learn more and more about the oceans and the inhabitants, I like to pass this information onto school children.  They are like sponges in that they want to learn and they ask a million questions when I'm done speaking.
Educating and increasing public awareness through my art is my mission to get people to think about the health and survival of our oceans for future generations to enjoy.

Silk Scarves

I have been busy creating a new line of product to add to my Ocean Colors Art collection.
  

Besides my brightly colored ocean paintings (and Artistic Wanderings paintings), I am now offering you beautiful hand painted silk scarves in 54", 60" and 70" http://bonnielynnsart.com/OceanColorsSilkScarves.html

There are, naturally, my beloved ocean themed pieces, along with looks for everyday. 

I use 100% Habotai silk and the finest Jacquard silk dyes.  They are then "set" to retain the brilliance of the dyes and to enable you to hand wash them in cool/warm water.  Each comes in a gift box and with its own "care" tag.

I will also custom design a scarf especially for you, of your choice of colors.

Shark !!!

Sharks have been around for 400 million years. This is about 200 million years before dinosaurs made the scene.

Long before Peter Benchley's "Jaws" book and Steven Spielbergs film adaptation, people have had a fear of sharks. I can see why the fear is there............stories have been cultivated for hundreds of years about "man-eating" sharks. Yes, sharks can be dangerous and yes, they do kill, but they are NOT the man-eating killing machines that they have been made out to be. The oceans are theirs and any killing they do is for their own survival. Any attacks that are on humans are merely by mistaken identity or that they were feeling threatened.

When I dive with sharks, I see nothing but a beautiful, graceful animal. I am working on a series of small paintings dedicated to the sharks I have dove with. I hope that through these paintings, you can overlook your fears and see the beauty that I see through my diving mask.

Gray Reef Shark, 12"x12" Oil painting, $140.00. To purchase, email me at dvrbon@wi.rr.com

http://www.bonnielynnsart.com

New Website Up

The new website is officially up !!! http://www.bonnielynnsart.com

I'm sure that I will do some tweaking along the way, along with entering new paintings as I finish them.

New Look for Website

I have been diligently working on a new look for my website of ocean art, http://www.bonnielynnsart.com/.
Along with a new tropical look than what I had before, the new site will have pages of Small Paintings, My Photos, and a few more surprises.
Navigation should be easier also.

The site should be online with the next week.............just proof reading and doing some tweaking.

I am very pleased with the outcome and I hope you are too.

Gallery in the Garden

July 26th and 27th is Gallery in the Garden . This is a show in the synthesis of art and nature in the solitude of a private garden in Woodstock, Il. I have been accepted as one of those artists and will mainly feature my underwater paintings, prints and notecards, although I will have my "Artistic Wanderings" works for sale also.
A percentage of the sales are donated to Turning Point.......a domestic violence program in the Woodstock, Il area.

Mamma Sarah's Straw Market

As I mentioned in my May 8th blog entry, I am starting an Island Time series of paintings which will feature life on the islands I have visited in my scuba diving travels. I have already painted one I call Mamma Sarah's Straw Market and as promised, I have completed another view of the same market which is posted here and on my website under Newest Paintings.


Mamma Sarah Hutchinson is a 92 year old Bahamian woman who lives on Harbour Island, which lies about 100 miles east of Miami in the Bahamas chain. She runs a roadside straw market where she sells handmade straw hats, straw mats, straw bags, dolls and colorful fabrics. She doesn't open her stand herself much anymore because she says she has "the grouch in her foot."

Seeing the tiny colorful buildings on the less populated islands that I have visited, makes one wish, if just for a moment, that you too could live this simpler life. Picture this.....fewer cars, if any at all, no loud industry, no rushing from here to there, no palm pilots.........and the list goes on and on. Since this isn't possible for the majority of us, I hope that you can get a feeling for island life from my paintings.

The Great Channel 10 Auction

Today, Friday, 25 April, is the opening day of the Great Channel 10 Auction, which will run thru May 3.
Many great items are donated and auctioned off, with proceeds going to Channel 10/36 PBS stations. These are stations which have quality programming, such as Sesame Street, Nova, and many more.

I have donated 4 of my Ocean Colors Art prints to the auction in hopes to generate some bids and therefore, revenue for the stations.

I hope that everyone spends a little time watching the auction in the next 9 days, and that you find items you want to bid on............and bid high !!!!