The Dream Painter

My Front Door

2011-02-01T08:07:00.000-05:00

Gas Station

2010-10-23T08:59:00.000-04:00

Old Wooden Door

2010-09-16T21:04:00.000-04:00

5"x7" Old Wooden Door

Odds and Ends Again

2010-09-11T19:34:00.001-04:00

5"x7" Red Doors

5"x7" Covered Bridge

5"x7" Country Gas Station

24"x36"

Open Door

2010-09-03T21:25:00.000-04:00

Charleston

2010-09-03T21:22:00.000-04:00

This is my latest Charleston painting...

Commissioned Farmhouse

2010-05-05T10:06:00.001-04:00

ArtWalk

2010-03-26T07:44:00.009-04:00

These are the pieces I have been working on in preparation for the ArtWalk.

Marc Chatov Workshop

2010-03-06T08:40:00.008-05:00

I was very fortunate to be able to attend Marc Chatov's workshop - for the second time. The first experience I had with Marc was in college. It was an oil painting/portrait workshop. At that point in my life I had pulled away from painting or drawing people. I was doing my best to experiment with different forms of art, to stand outside of my box. Going back to his workshop this year, I realized that painting people is indeed my passion. I have always been fascinated by the human form an shape. Even as a child I remember studying people's features and watching their facial expressions. The bigger the nose, the better. I love how alike and different we all are. I love trying to capture the spirit of someone in a painting.

So again, this workshop was a portrait painting workshop. Not only did we have the opportunity to paint a portrait from life, we were also able to paint the human form as well. Instead of focusing on the "likeness" of the model, he brought our focus to learning how to "see" blocks of shapes and colors. We were asked to avoid drawing lines. Lines only form as two masses of color collide. This appraoch was VERY different from the approach of the dry brush technique I learned from Marc many years ago. This technique was much different and more difficut - definitely out of my comfort zone. We were not even to sketch the form, just to block in shapes of color and then begin to layer over the top. We were painting wet into wet. I have always learned "thick over thin" and "light over dark". There was a certain part of my brain that had to let go of all of the things I had learned from myself and teachers in my past, and to trust this new process. The first day was almost painful, but by the second day I began to understand.

I find that the knowlege I attained there in the studio has carried me to a new place in my own paintings. I am starting some paintings using this new technique. I will post as soon as I get moving. For now, here are pictures from the workshop.

Auction Night

2009-11-22T00:04:00.000-05:00

Wow! I am thrilled beyond words to say that all of my paintings sold. What an experience. Tonight was truly an inspiration.

Artist Bio

2009-11-18T12:50:00.000-05:00

Bonne Bedingfield's love for art began somewhere between conception and birth. As a child, she was surrounded by creative people. Her father was a syndicated political cartoonist, her mother an artist in her own right. Adding to the gene pool of creativity were two older siblings, both of whom are disgustingly talented human beings. This collection of family members inspired Bonne to live a life of artistic innovation.

From childhood,whenever Bonne was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she answered without hesitation, "I want to be an artist!". As she grew older, the response changed from "That's great!" to, "You know you can't make a living doing that". This only encouraged Bonne to work harder.

It was not until high school that Bonne discovered painting was indeed her true calling. She attributes this revelation to her older brother, David, who became her high school art teacher. One might consider this a blessing or a curse. Luckily for Bonne, it was bigger than a blessing. Not only did David share with her the knowledge he had accumulated over the years, but he pushed her to become bigger, better and more confident in her expressions.

Bonne attended Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia from 1999-2003 where she had intense experience with new forms of design. Under the tutilege of Frances de la Rosa, Bonne explored different types art, primarily the abstract and the conceptual a la Kandinsky. Bonne thrived in this new environment, freed of her artistic inhibitions.

After graduating from Wesleyan, Bonne married her long time love, Jason. This resulted in another meeting of artistic minds. Jason's mother was also an artist. Shortly after graduation, his mother, Debbie, offered for Bonne to take over her art studio allowing Bonne to be a working artist. Bonne took over the Art Works Studio in Carrollton, Georgia and was able to teach art during the day and paint at night. During this time, she had her first professional gallery experience at Jackalope's Art Gallery.

Bonne now lives in Newnan with Jason and their three year old daughter. Her work has continued to evolve over the years as her style swings between abstraction and realism. She refers to herself as the "bi-polar artist", in a good way of course. This she attributes to her parents - you would have to know David and Rosalyn to understand, harmoniously dissident. A delicate balance that best describes the artist's work.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-11-18T12:40:00.000-05:00

It has been an exciting month for me artistically. Although I have not been able to produce too many pieces, I have been working diligently on framing my work and involving myself in artistic happenings in my area.

I have entered five of my paintings to a silent auction being held as a fund raiser for the Heritage School. I am often careful about giving paintings to auctions as painting is like a birthing process. It is extremely hard for me to part with my work. There is so much time, effort, and soul put into each piece that you like to reap the rewards of your hard work. This auction called my name because the profits are split with the artists. I don't know why people haven't thought to do this before! Many other local artists are placing their works in the show and I'm very excited to be a part of it. Also, Steve Penley, a nationally renowned artist will be part of the auction. I was very fortunate to meet him a few weeks ago at one of his shows. Brilliant guy - and funny. That's always nice.

More exciting news for me! I have been asked by two gallery's to hang my artwork. Wow! I'm loving these connections I have made.

I took the time to write an Artist Biography. I have never spent time thinking about my artistic journey so I am glad to have put it down on paper. I will be posting the bio shorty.

The South

2009-09-27T13:10:00.000-04:00

I have now decided to paint the things that make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Naturally I would gravitate towards what I have been surrounded by for most of my life. I have tons of inspiration around me through my friends, family (lots of artists in my family), and the beauty of the south. You will find windows, doors and old buildings. I will definitely stick with this style for a while. I feel like I have a lot of growing to do and the inspiration is endless. All of these paintings are large ranging in the 24x36" range.

Light Series

2009-09-27T13:04:00.000-04:00

These are paintings from Charleston, SC. I find old buildings beautiful and full of character. I have always been intrigued by doorways and windows. You never know what is behind them or what will happen when they are opened. It changes the space and the mood. But I especially love the way the light hits and reflects off the subject...so I did a study. This was a huge learning process for me. I mostly learn how to paint by trial and error. I finally figured out thick over thin and light over dark. Makes a huge difference.

Abstracts II

2009-09-27T12:50:00.000-04:00

From the flowers I moved into another form of abstraction. The top painting, "Explosion" is free form. The point of focus for me was to let go and trust my instincts - to let my mind process.

The second piece started with a particular image in mind - a rooster. Maybe you can see it? I still tried to allow my form to flow and to not think too much about what I was doing.

The last painting began with symbolic meaning. There are certain images in this painting that represent moments and images that have had an influence in my life.

Abstract Organics

2009-09-27T12:39:00.000-04:00

These were part of an abstract movement I was working through. A lot of flowers and gardens. I spent most of this time working with color theory and composition. I love to layer colors, smear them and scratch through them.