Bonnie England was born in 1968 in Detroit, Michigan.  She studied at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington and received two degrees, cum laude;  Bachelor of Arts-Studio, as well as, Bachelor of Arts-Art History in 2005.  Within months of graduating, Bonnie and her business partner, opened Bottega Art & Wine Gallery in historic downtown Wilmington and was awarded Best Art Gallery 2006-2009 by Encore Magazine readers.  Currently,  she finger paints in her home studio, teaches for Learning Perspectives, Inc.,  Dreams of Wilmington and the occasional workshop.  Recently she was invited and attended the Paint a Future  art Symposium in Rully, France and the No Boundaries International Art Colony  at Bald Head Island, North Carolina.

Making Art: Bonnie England

Contributed by Joel William Fernando

Monday, 24 November 2008

Last Updated Monday, 24 November 2008

of Bottega Art and Wine

As an artist, art gallery owner, event organizer, businesswoman and mother of three, Bonnie England has painted a colorful world here in Wilmington where everyone is welcome to come and play. With a vivid perspective that has blossomed from a colorful lifestyle, England converts her experiences into abstract scenes of blurred color streaks and rapturous imagery. Ridged textures amongst hazy light lines and rich color schemes drive the viewer to joyous contemplation.

"If I'm painting a portrait of a person with black hair, I don't just see their hair as black; I see yellows, browns, blue tints and even greens just in their hair, and I paint that," England says.

Deriving influences from natural surroundings, locations and interesting experiences, England trusts in the present moment to inspire her. She is known to work on her art at spontaneous times and always has her canvases and paint in her car just in case she has an urge to paint what she sees. This wanderlust spirit has been her guide as she has traveled the world experiencing diverse cultures and locales.

Traveling has led to the openness and freethinking that England displays in her personality. Because she has lived in many different parts of the world, she has seen how other social systems interact and how other people think. Thus, a diverse range of experiences and observations allows us to become enlightened in freethinking. In a perfect "art world,"

there are no wrong opinions because each thought no matter how irrational, has validity to the person who believes it. With that said, if you think about the trillions of thoughts being created by the billions of minds around the world at this very second, it would be wise to be empathetic to the world around you, in order to turn chaos into opportunity.

England has embraced the chaos of freethinking and has injected it into downtown's Bottega Art and Wine, which displays a wide array of artwork on a monthly basis. The cozy downtown space has become a work of art in itself. "The walls are a blank canvas that come to life with each show," England explains. The mood that is created with each show is unique; Bottega is constantly evolving with the artists and audiences that participate.

Ultimately, the success of the space relies on community involvement. Art traditionalists mingle with wine tasters and film addicts; all sorts of people join together to peruse each other's philosophies and ideas. This is the point of art, to bring people together in thinking and understanding the issues around the world.

This flexibility and acceptance amongst social groups and perspectives is reflected in England's paintings of blurry realities. "Bottega Art and Wine is not just a tactile thing, people are able to come in and make connections with other artists," England elaborates. "This is a place where people can spread and absorb ideas. Its so much more than just a visual space."

In life we must remember to be shy of the mundane and pursue the improbable. We must keep our minds open to the world around us. Absorb your surroundings and respect all of the fun personalities around you, your thoughts and ideas are just as important to the world as anyone else's.

Come out to Bottega's Upcoming Events!

Nov. 18-Jan. 18: Bottega's annual Holiday Exhibit featuring local artists Gayle Tustin, Pam Toll, Bonnie England, Danielle Couture, Darren Mulvenna and more.

Nov. 29, Sat., 10-5: Bijou Art & Music Festival, North Front Street between Grace & Chestnut. Buy Local Art!

Feb. 15-Mar. 21: Fashion, Fur & Philanthropy: Fund-raising Exhibit for three local animal nonprofit organizations, featuring the artwok of Netop, the painting dog!

A multimedia savage of sorts, Fernando is a practitioner of communicatory experimentation on visual/audio platforms and

currently is expanding his knowledge on grapevine health benefits, business dealings, socialite politics, cabinet making,

reality show scouting, entrepreneurial research and culinary extravagance.

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