Bonnie Bowne

I will never forget the first time I saw the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains as a child of five. We had driven all night to get to the Tetons from Iowa, and the next morning as we came over the pass at dawn there was the most breathtaking view of a mountain range I have ever beheld. The whole family was so enchanted by the area that we moved to Colorado a few years later; and the Rocky Mountain West has been my inspiration ever since. Sometimes I think that every painting I have completed since that time is rooted in an attempt to recapture the beauty of that single moment.

I spend 60% of my painting time outdoors, painting “en plein air,” and 40% in the studio. For me, painting outside is a necessity, because only that way do I feel I can learn what light is and how to paint it. I see my painting as a response to the infatuation I feel, and the beauty I see, for the natural world around me, and as an artist I want to communicate visually this sense of tranquility and splendor that I find in the West.

Impressionistic Realism is how I would describe the style of my landscapes. I strive to use the medium of oil paint to depict the light and beauty that I see in God’s creation all around me. Impressionistic Realists that have inspired and influenced me through the years have been Clyde Aspevig, Scott Christensen and Matt Smith, as well as past masters Anders Zorn and Joaquin Sorolla.

I currently reside in Fort Collins, Colorado.