Bonnie Marris has taken an unusual path into art; she developed her talent by portraying animals “from the inside out.” While she was a student at Michigan State University, Bonnie illustrated several major books. One volume she worked on was a leading expert’s mammalogy text that contained several hundred drawings and detail studies. This massive project attracted the attention of noted zoologist George Schaller, who invited Bonnie to prepare the art for posters that would support his worldwide rare animal relief programs.
Beyond academic training and emotional involvement, art requires another element for which there is no substitute: experience. Each year, Bonnie makes two major trips, and countless smaller ones, to observe and learn about the wildlife she loves. In 1980, one such voyage took her to Alaska, where she lived in the wilderness for six months. She recounts, “To get into a natural environment and see the animals on their own terms is as important as knowing the animals themselves. For instance, gray wolves on the tundra—the vast, vast tundra with the wind and other forces of nature at their most extreme—that’s what makes them what they are. To stand not far from a grizzly that is so overpowering, so beautiful and so large . . . to watch it pull up a small tree with a swipe of its paw and just a few minutes later see it delicately picking blueberries with its black lips. . . Alaska changed me; it gave me the biggest incentive to paint and increased my interest in the predators: the cats, bears, coyotes, wolves and foxes. They exist on so many levels. Their moods show in their eyes and we can learn so much from them.”
Bonnie Marris Limited Edition Giclee Canvas "Morning Muses"
Artist Bonnie Marris lives on a farm in Michigan with her husband, three horses and two dogs. Collectors of her work will recognize the coloring on this pair of friends, caught early one warm fall morning when Bonnie stepped outside to check on them. Her horses are her muses and she never tires of following the light moving across their backs throughout the day and the way the whites and shadows in their hair change colors.
“I love this painting because it is as much about the relationship between the horses as it is about the lighting at this time of day and the textures in the grass, alongside the ripples in the water. It’s a meditation, a very soothing piece.”
Marris has become a very successful fixture at the annual Masters of the American West Fine Art Exhibition and Sale at the Autry National Center of the American West and 2010 promises to be no exception.
32" by 16" Image Size, Limited to 125, signed by the artist - $595
All Limited Edition prints are signed and numbered (S/N) by the artist. Limited Edition prints are restricted to a certain number. For example, if 400 prints are made from an original painting, once they’re gone, that’s it. There is no limit to the number of open edition prints of a particular painting. That’s why Limited Edition prints are more expensive — and more valuable to collectors — than "open" edition. Rare objects are more valuable.
A giclée print is created with digital printers using tiny ink jets that spray microscopic ink droplets onto a sheet of canvas, creating a lush, vibrant and textured art print that has the look of an original painting. These canvas giclées come stretched, ready for framing and need no glass in front of the image to protect it. The giclée is typically larger in size than the limited edition print and slightly smaller than the original painting.
All Limited Edition artwork is subject to availability at time of order. Although seller strives to remain currrent as to inventory, seller reserves the right to cancel a sale if item is no longer available at time of purchase.
Authorized Greenwich Workshop Dealer
Not logged in
Login Status