Art in Bloom

"Art in Bloom" is this month; I was lucky to be one of 24 artists selected by juror Michael Sherrill to pair with floral designers, who interpret each art work; the art work will be in the Gallery at Flat Rock until June 11. It's an honor to be a part of this exhibit in a beautifully elegant space. Deedie Springer of Springvine Design will be the floral designer for my painting "New Beginnings" from the Songs of the Earth series.

"Songs of the Earth: New Beginnings", Bonnie Joy Bardos, 48" x 60"

Songs of the Earth: Ode to Joy

The Songs of the Earth series features paintings inspired by spring. All winter, I painted large canvases, even on days when paint froze and light was dim. These works are filled with joy, color, delight in the Earth and all her beauty.

"Ode to Joy" from Songs of the Earth, Bonnie Joy Bardos, 48" x 60"

Poppies bloom, branches, vines, fruit, fiddlehead ferns and stalks of flower pods emerge. Lotuses spike from water, circles of life and line float. Bamboo shoots, bees, butterflies, birds, tree frogs, words appear magically. Some works feature Moon Hare and haloed birds. They're all connected: as we are--to Mother Earth. Themes of my long time love of Jungian symbology intertwine.

Thanks to a Regional Artist Project grant from the Arts Council of Henderson County, in cooperation with the North Carolina Arts Council (a division of the Dept. of Cultural Resources) and the Tryon Fine Arts Center, etc. I was able to purchase several 48" x 60" canvases for the series "Songs of the Earth". I hope the gratitude I feel for this and life shines through.

Songs of the Earth: Art Exhibit Through May 16

"Songs of the Earth" has been hung, labeled, and is almost ready--lighting will be adjusted, and I'll have a little rest after all that! Thank goodness for good friends Pat and Dom Ferullo who helped hang paintings yesterday; for Cinda Austin and Chet Chavez planning refreshments, Gary Corn and James Blanton for wine--reception eve. This show runs March 31 through May 16 at the historic Tryon Depot/Millard & Company, 22 Depot Street, Tryon NC. Open weekday business hours from 10-5. The opening reception will be April 8 from 5-7 p.m. It's dedicated to my long-time friend Biddie Dawson, who has been like a mother, sister, dear friend ever since I moved to Saluda. Hope to see you at the opening!

"Songs of the Earth" Gallery Show

Songs of the Earth features new paintings inspired by spring. All winter, I painted large canvases, even on days when paint froze and light was dim. These works are filled with joy, color, delight in the Earth and all her beauty.

Poppies bloom, branches, vines, fruit, fiddlehead ferns and stalks of flower pods emerge. Lotuses spike from water, circles of life and line float. Bamboo shoots, bees, butterflies, birds, tree frogs, words appear magically. Some works feature Moon Hare and haloed birds. They're all connected: as we are--to Mother Earth. Themes of my long time love of Jungian symbology intertwine.

Thanks to a Regional Artist Project grant from the Arts Council of Henderson County, in cooperation with the North Carolina Arts Council (a division of the Dept. of Cultural Resources) and the Tryon Fine Arts Center, etc. I was able to purchase several 48" x 60" canvases for the series "Songs of the Earth". I hope the gratitude I feel for this and life shines through.

The opening reception is April 8 from 5-7 p.m. at Millard & Company's Depot Gallery room on 22 Depot Street, Tryon, NC, 28782. The show runs March 31 to May 16, open business week hours to the public.

Summer Paintings & Joy of Old Trucks

Painting: Bonnie Joy Bardos, from the "Songs of the Earth" series, 30" x 30", oil on linen (still in progress)

August rolls into town with her dusty suitcases and a hint of fall in the air today: while it's hot still, there's that inevitable turning of time, the changing light, the coolness of morning when hummingbirds dance. It's the time of butterflies, the sense of loss, the poignant gathering of memory. I remember red crisp apples bending branches low over the summer garden, the bright yellow buses that will come soon: how it all fleets by in an instant. Today, I take the old beater truck that loving friends gave me to be my 'art truck' after I had so much trouble with keeping the old VW alive one more year. Windows down, peace sign swinging, zebra-striped floor mats trimmed in hot pink, the truck and I drove along winding roads with a cathedral of trees, eyes of blue sky peeking through. Over to leafy-green historic Flat Rock we went, an August breeze running her fingers through my hair. Watching all these things, feeling them, all comes into what I'm painting. I just absorb it all, along with the kindness of others. Then go to work, brush in hand.

"Artists don't get down to work until the pain of working is exceeded by the pain of not working." ~ Stephen DeStaebler (sculptor)

Silver Ribbons of a New Year, New Art

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room,
drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched.
Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through
the rooms of our lives. . . not looking for flaws, but for potential."
~ Ellen Goodman

Here it is, another new year on silver ribbons of fresh beginnings. Even in early January, to celebrate new beginnings, I walk outside on a chill winter afternoon with River dog to gather forsythia and sweet almond branches to bring inside, to force into early bloom. This is my yearly ritual. Just having those winter branches in the house signifies the sweetness of life waiting to burst into color.

This year, I intend to walk through my rooms, both literal and symbolic: through the weathered plastered walls that crack and bear coats of paint along with wallpaper of yesteryear. Like me, those rooms have continued to stand, despite the passing of days, months, years. They're beautiful, reminiscent of vintage Italian or French estates worn by time and life. I go on, turning a new page, another brush, another painting idea. This year, I'll work even more on my latest series "Songs of the Earth". These sing to me these days, an ode to joy, turning toward home.

"Songs of the Earth": New Paintings

These panels depict the magic of Mother Earth: seed pods, cattails, lilies, fiddle-head ferns, berries, sky, water, vines...more...do you hear the songs? This new work consists of three panels, 24" x 24" each, and can be hung with all three together, as two, or even one in the same room. All part of the series, "Songs of the Earth", this series will continue to expand and bloom, even in fall, winter. While these colors seem very summery, on a fall day with the golden leaves outside, they're beautiful! As ever, I fall in love with each painting I do, they're like my children, but intended to set forth into the world when I've finished the work of creating them!

Creating A New Painting: Songs of the Earth (a beginning)

"When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” ~ Rumi

Yesterday a friend asked me how I can do the 'same thing' every day. Puzzled, I explained that (to me) it's never the same, always different...and I get so excited over working on ART. I really love wearing old painting clothes, hanging with River dog, throwing paint, weaving words, or hammering sculpture: creating something: I'm happy to be here in my old house/studio working away on the back deck or front porch, painting away: not trapped in a tiny cubicle or punching a time clock. There truly is a river of joy in my soul: no matter the odds, no matter how hard it is to make ends meet.

For example, here's a brand-new painting in progress: (this is the first layer, the birth, the beginning stages) which will be in the "Songs of the Earth" series...it's my largest "Songs" yet...at 48" x 72". Yes, my behavior is escalating. This is only the beginning: shown outside on the front porch studio. River dog's nearby supervising, listening to the fish pond trickle. In the painting, summer starts to bloom: Queen Anne's lace, seed pods, ferns, corals, yellow-golds, pink honeysuckle twining, cat tails rise, a lotus...of course, there's always my love of Jungian symbolism floating in those details.

It came to my mind as I was out there flinging paint, that maybe, just maybe I should work up a Kickstarter fund for this series, so I can work freely on them without worrying so much about marketing or materials, starvation or deprivation, which although I'm used to, can hamper an artist. Hmmmm...after all, these began with a song. An idea. A magic moment out in nature, listening. Tuning in to that hum of life, that metaphysical force. Feeling the river flowing in my soul. Thanks for listening to my on-going love of art, the making of art. We're all part of the circles...which are in the painting, I might add. More to come....

Songs To The Earth painting (48" x 72") in progress, Bonnie Joy Bardos

What Starts A Series of Paintings: Thoughts, Music, Nature...

This painting is one of a series I started last year: after finishing one, another appeared, and another...by the second round I knew this would be a series, indeed. That's how it happens: one thing leads to another and I just follow. To start, the first one evolved from a large painting constructed of two big canvases, attached together permanently, the largest one 5' x 7'. As any artist can tell you, nothing is ever finished, even when it is. So, one day, I took the big piece down from the wall, took a box cutter and cut. I completely demolished the back painting, although I kept the stretcher and pieces of the canvas for future work. “Every so often, a painter has to destroy painting. Cezanne did it, Picasso did it with Cubism. Then Pollock did it. He busted our idea of a picture all to hell. Then there could be new paintings again.” ~ Willem De Kooning The other canvas was taken outdoors and treated with gesso in some areas, paints, and completely underwent a major renovation, a rebirth. An artist friend had given me a CD called "Praises To the World"...the music flowed through me in color, in blue sky, blooming poppies, pink honeysuckle, mountain ferns: all things of spring and summer around, a halo, a state of grace. By that time, I was so enchanted with the idea of paintings, songs to the earth, of praise of all the life surrounding my place in the world, the thought of making a new series seemed right. And so it was. Here's my second painting from "Songs To The Earth" (30" x 60")...full of the world I see and feel, full of praise and life, a homage to Nature, her beauty and much symbolism floating in cattails, lotus, honeysuckle, seed pods, ferns, water, air... Currently, this painting is on display at Upstairs Artspace, part of the proceeds will benefit the Upstairs, a non-profit arts organization that promotes contemporary art in a beautiful space.
As of this afternoon, I've started another song painting, this one is 48" x 72". Flinging paint, mixing color, it becomes a part of the song. Earlier, someone was here and asked me how can I do the 'same thing every day'. Naturally, puzzled me had to correct that notion! How can I not make art? How can I be confined to a cubicle, an office I asked her. Some are happy in that. I may not leave the house/studio for days, but I'm filled with life energy, eager to begin, to paint, to sculpt or write. It fills me up, overflows.To an artist, every day is different. There are new paths, new colors, new notes in the song: whether we're singing it, writing it, painting it. (sold)