Bonnie Gonzales

Bonnie Gonzales - ARTIST BIO
Bonnie has spent many years producing creative works for others while paying less attention to her personal need for artistic fulfillment. After several years of varied lifestyles and careers in the 60's (Colorado ski bum, New York stewardess, New Mexico hippie/waitress/commune-dweller), she made her way “back home” in 1974 to Leelanau County, settling in Empire, Michigan with her three-year-old daughter. She enrolled in the Commercial Art program at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, Michigan.

After graduation, she spent the next few years as an illustrator and layout artist for the Traverse City Record Eagle newspaper. In 1981, she left the area to blend the chapters of her life with her new Air Force spouse and gave birth to another beautiful daughter in 1984. She worked in Oklahoma as a graphic designer for a vocational technical school, then moved to Germany with her husband when he accepted a six-year overseas assignment.

While in Germany, Bonnie explored picturesque farm villages, markets, and neighboring countries while designing and marketing her own line of T-shirts. Later, she worked as a graphic designer for the U.S. Department of Defense in the Netherlands. Her husband’s final assignment landed them in Tucson, Arizona, where Bonnie worked as a Web Designer for the University of Arizona. After retiring in 2007, she purchased a small summer getaway on Glen Lake, Michigan, where she once spent her childhood summers, and now splits her time between there and Tucson, Arizona.

She found her bliss in the summer of 2012 when she enrolled in a pastel painting class conducted by renowned Michigan artist, Mary Fuscaldo, followed by a class with Georgia artist, Barbara Jaenicke, in 2013. Today, Bonnie is a Pastelist, focusing her art on landscapes of Michigan and the Southwest.

SIDE NOTE: Both of Bonnie's daughters are gifted artists. Jessica has pursued art as a career, graduating from the University of AZ with a B.A. in Fine Art. Mastering color in acrylics, her art can be found on Facebook at Arte de la Jessica Gonzales. She lives in Tucson, AZ. Sarah has chosen soft pastels as her creative medium in Fairfield, CA. where she resides and teaches 9th grade science. Sarah's husband, David, a teacher of the visually impaired, also seeks art for personal fulfillment. His unique style is reminiscent of Dutch impressionistic landscapes.

Gallery Representation
Sleeping Bear Gallery - Empire, MI

Shows
Tucson Pastel Society Charity Fundraiser Tucson Botanical Gardens: Winter 2014
Glen Arbor Art Association Quick Draw: Summer 2014
Tucson Pastel Society member show at Murphey Gallery: Winter 2013
Tucson Pastel Society Ronald McDonald House Charity Fundraiser, Crizmac Gallery: Winter 2013
Glen Arbor Art Association Members Show: Fall 2013
Glen Arbor Art Association Plein Air Paint-out: Summer 2013
Glen Arbor Art Association Quick Draw: Summer 2013
Glen Arbor Art Association Quick Draw: Summer 2012
Glen Arbor Art Association Members Show: Fall 2012

Memberships
Glen Arbor Art Association
Tucson Pastel Society

Purchase Inquiries
If you would like to purchase or have questions about Bonnie's art , please contact her at: bonniegonzalesart@gmail.com. Commissions available.