"Down in the Valley" - Bonnie Sol

"Down in the Valley", by Bonnie Sol Oil on canvas, framed in koa. Canvas size: 12" wide x 16" high Frame size: 16" wide x 20" high For over 25 years, Bonnie Sol's breathtaking oils have been inspired by nature.   Even as a child, growing up on the Big Island of Hawai'i, you could find her either out of doors, or in her room, drawing the world around her on sketchpads. Since then, no matter where Bonnie Sol has made her home, nature has continued to be her inspiration.   In the U.S. Virgin islands, where she attended high school, she painted landscapes. In 1998, she graduated with dual degrees from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts (BA in Anthropology), and The School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (BFA with concentration in Painting) where she focused on figures and portraits. After college, she was drawn west, to the crisp air of the Rockies. There her paintings were inspired by the golden leaves of aspen trees and the majestic mountains of Colorado. Then east again, where she further honed her skills, painting the granite cliffs, rocky shores, and blueberry fields of Maine.   Returning to Hawai'i in 2008, Bonnie Sol's art once again reflected the ever changing natural world around her. The sunsets she paints are records of moments passed, skies never to be repeated-every moment unique: beautiful,  visceral, fleeting. Dramatic skies, rippling seas, and naturally occurring patterns are major components of her work. Her botanicals reflect the complex beauty of nature, light, and form, and are records of her life in Hawaii. Collectors of her paintings an be found throughout the islands and around the world. They are drawn to her work because, as Bonnie Sol  says,"it brings a little of the outdoors in". Bonnie Sol lives in Hilo, Hawai'i, with her woodworker husband (matsukazewoodworking.blogspot.com), cat, and a dog named Po.