Photos: Courtesy of Bonnie Pollard
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.
My name is Bonnie Pollard. I am a South African artist. Eight years ago, I left my home after a family tragedy and set off with my immediate family to live in Tenafly New Jersey.
What inspired you to become an artist?
There has always been that little voice inside my head urging me to create. As a child I would sit and draw for hours. I loved drawing ladies and dressing them up with my sister and making wild stories about the ladies – we definitely fleshed then out in our imaginations. When I wasn’t drawing, I was singing and playing my guitar. As a teenager I wrote and composed songs so that “artist voice” was always inside me begging to be let out! I took the safe route and became a school psychologist and learning specialist for children. But creating art was always my respite and refuge. Now at my ripe age of 47 I decided to follow my joy and make art.
What is your specialty?
My specialty is bright acrylic and mixed media paintings with unexpected colour combinations.
How and where do you work?
I work in a studio in my home. I fashioned a small area in my house into a private art studio it’s compact, but it works very well for me!
What is the most indispensable item in your workshop/studio?
My dog Khaya (meaning “ home” in Zulu ) is the most indispensable item in my studio. She loves it when I paint and she has a special bed in my studio where she curls up and sleeps while I paint!
Where do you take your inspiration? Are you pursuing any themes?
My inspirations are largely autobiographical. I love painting women and trees. Since I am an orthodox Jewish woman I am interested in Jewish spirituality and religious rituals. I also take inspiration from landmarks in my country of birth South Africa. Trees as a metaphor for my life are also a strong theme. To me trees represent growth and also in my case uprooting and replanting in a new country and hopefully growing new branches, etc.
Do you do bespoke work?
I enjoy doing bespoke work where customers can give me a treasured photo or memory for example of a family wedding and I paint my interpretation of this photo on a unique expressive style – this makes for a “ one of a kind” gift the family can enjoy forever! I do custom pet portraits and treasured memory paintings from a special oak photo the client gives me. I also do mixed media family collages with an underpinning theme the family feels express them. I make bespoke decoupage custom challah boards.
What projects are you currently working on?
Currently I am very interested in lighthouses, particularly one in South Africa and I am doing a series on these with plenty of people and of course interesting women sprinkled here and there!
What is your favourite item in your current collection?
In my current collection my favourite piece is a painting I call “Tea in the Forest” of a beautiful lady sipping tea in the serenity of the forest. At the onset of coronavirus, when nothing made sense and the world was and still is in turmoil all I wanted to be was that lady in the forest sipping tea!
How do you know when a piece is finished?
I pour a lot of energy into my art and I can work obsessively for days in a state of bliss. I know that a piece is finished when I feel restless and then I know it’s time to move on to my next project.
What was the first artwork you ever sold?
Although I have painted for years and many people have told me they would buy my work, I finally took the plunge and opened my studio one week ago. I am really excited at the thought of making my first sale!
Which project have you enjoyed working on the most so far?
I love working on mixed media projects my enjoyment comes from “more is more”! I love energetic color and embellishments with beads, mosaics you name it. My favorite project is a painting of myself and my son on the beach in South Africa. It marks a simpler time before our lives changed completely so it is a very special piece to me.
What do you want to achieve with your work and what are your wishes for the future?
My wish is for my art to touch people and give them joy and whatever courage they need to get through the day. If I can touch people with my art in a meantime way that speaks to them, I will have achieved my goal as an artist.
Where can we find your work?
My work can be found on my website: www.bonniesartstudio.com, my Etsy store: bonniesartstudioshop , on my Facebook Page: bonniesartstudiostore , and on Saatchi.com .
Photos: Courtesy of Bonnie Pollard
