Meet One Of America's Prolific Artists

About artist Bonnie E. Rodgers

When you look at Bonnie E. Rodgers’ paintings, be prepared to surrender you imagination to exciting and shimmering colors in watercolor, oils, mixed media, etc.  Fellow artists have called her one of the most prolific artists they know due to her use of Acrylics, Oils, Watercolors, Mixed Media, Monoprints, Collages, Pen & Ink and Pencil, Jewelry and so much more to reflect her artistic voice. Each painting is infused with feeling of a moment of the very fabric of her life.

She received her Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in Studio Arts Painting from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and her Masters, Magna Cum Laude both after several life altering occurrences changed her life’s direction.  “Taking action to make my world come to life on canvas and paper has become my life’s goal.  Inspiration comes from many directions: journaling, regional migrating and indigenous creatures, societies complexities, Plein Air painting sessions, family roots in Wisconsin and Nebraska, old barns built with the hands of forefathers from pine planks atop field stones gathered as they cleared the land, planted in their bib overalls and secure in their low gear lives.”

Artists, Emily Carr and Mary Cassett gave her courage when society says women's life is ordinary, Dr. Rebecca Olephant gave courage to "fly" and Dr. Francis Thurber taught her that sketching and journaling helps to incorporate more meaning into her work.

“I believe that it is important to find something extraordinary in the ordinary content of my life, giving that some quiet grandeur, and take part of it away with me – within my soul.”

Bonnie is a natural teacher who is intuitive in developing the student’s own natural voice.  She shares openly and candidly about the techniques she uses and the ones she tried that didn't work for her.  Mrs. Rodgers says that the use of different media and techniques help expand her knowledge of color, texture, and design.

Mrs. Rodgers is very active giving back to her community through teaching adults and children, mentoring, donating her art and talents to organizations close to her heart. She also finds time to develop self-help books for recovery, writes short stories and poetry. She is encouraged by the thought that her artwork hangs in numerous private and corporate collections internationally and represented by Creative Arts Gallery in Beatrice, Nebraska and many other galleries and events.

See the December, 2007 issue of The Artist's Magazine for her latest award. She was honored with finalist status in the experimental catagory for "Country Living", an expressive art collage.

My art disclaimer:Over the years, critics have pushed me to declare my artistic style though style is little more than a technique that galleries, art critics, or art historians use to recognize one work from another, and declare its worth. I want my work to reflect my diverse interests, skill level, and mastery of various media techniques. I strive to be honest, create from my heart, and let my soul soar in the creative process. Reining me in stops the creative being that I am that responds to the world around me and to the silent passing of my thoughts, characters I've met, my influences. I will not allow anyone to limit my expressitivity.