A colorist at heart
Liz Bonham, Western Skies, oil, 24 x 36.
“My first memory is running home from kindergarten, so excited because I had discovered that white and blue mixed together made a pretty sky blue on a painting,” recounts Texas artist Liz Bonham. That revelatory passion for color is still abundantly evident today in the painter’s classical compositions that feature an interplay of warm and cool reflective colors. “I’ve tried working with a limited palette, but it’s just not me,” she says with a laugh.
The award-winning Bonham, who hails from a creative family, earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting at Abilene Christian University and then did postgraduate work in art education. A chance discussion with a children’s book publisher at her gallery show in Fort Worth resulted in a successful decade-long illustration career, including Gold Medallion honors for The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado. A career in art education followed.
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- Liz Bonham, Dunn Bridge Crossing, oil, 11 x 14.
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- Liz Bonham, Ready, Set, Go, oil, 19 x 18.
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- Liz Bonham, Winter Stream, oil, 12 x 16.
Still, Bonham felt that she wasn’t pursuing her heart’s desire—to dedicate herself fully to painting. “About eight or nine years ago, I decided I couldn’t take it anymore, that I had to be able to paint all day,” she says. “I figured I had to work double time because I was getting a late start.” With that in mind she joined various art groups and societies, including Oil Painters of America, Women Artists of the West, and Plein Air Painters of New Mexico “because each one had a different personality and area of interest.”
Bonham puts her contemporary spin on a classical background based in realism and impressionism, having studied with Richard Schmid, John Asaro, Daniel F. Gerhartz, Ovanes Berberian, Tony Eubanks, and Frank Mason. She’s now an instructor herself.
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- Liz Bonham, On the Edge, oil, 36 x 48.
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- Liz Bonham, Hill Country Afternoon, oil, 16 x 20.
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- Liz Bonham, Morning Surf, oil, 24 x 36.
“My primary focus is painting the people and landscapes of the American West,” Bonham says, noting that the subjects remind her of stories her grandparents shared about the region. The artist, who travels nationwide for plein-air competitions, loves to paint from life. “I get so inspired by the beauty that I see in the landscape, by the way the light hits and creates beautiful colors. I’m one of those people who stops frequently along the side of the road to record what I see. I feel like I’m capturing God’s moment and must get it down and share it.” —Beth Williams
representation
G. Lee Gallery, Galveston, TX; www.lizbonham.com.
This story appeared in the October/November 2022 issue of Southwest Art magazine.