Bonnie knew from the time she could remember that she would be an artist. Realizing her calling at such a young age she came to realize that her inner world was as real as the outer world. She began painting pictures of living things around her interwoven with visions, imaginings, and dream wanderings.
“Nature wove its tapestry of color, movement, and sound around me. The strident call and bright flash of a flying bluejay; the muted yellow-gold of summer grass; the shy grace of deer moving across the meadow; the rushing chuckling streams—all of nature’s bounty filled me with an instinctive joy.”
At age 24 she attended the Ecole des Beaux Arts at the Sorbonne in Paris. She finished her formal education and received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees of fine art at the San Francisco Art Institute. In the 1970’s and 1980’s Bonnie was part of a San Francisco Bay area group of Visionary Artists, popularized by Norman Steigelmeyer, a fellow artist and teacher. Bonnie painted from a deeply spiritual place expressing the connection of the Dream World to all living things. Her paintings were personal, yet universal truths sharing a common ground that is both physical and divine.
Bonnie’s passion and self-discovery of her own true self is expressed in symbols of archetypes and the natural world around her combined with dreams and visions. She approached life as a sacred quest, and it is this expression that defines her as one of the most influential female artists.
“The Dream World provides spiritual support for my work. By “Dream World” I mean the divine Source that sends visions to both the sleeping and waking sides of consciousness. When I connect with this underlying Dream World, I paint from a deep, ecstatic place that contains universal as well as personal elements. Here Spirit and/or Spirits speak to me: It could be a formless Voice, a person, an animal, an angel, a nature spirit from tree or rock or water, or even one of my own pets, bringing me messages of wisdom. The Dream World shows that all living things are connected, sharing a common ground that is both physical and divine. This is one of the truths that is a constant theme of my work. The conjuring of the Spiritual in my work happens in the process and is fully revealed in the final result. This makes painting for me an exciting journey—always with a surprise ending!” Bonnie Bisbee
Knowing Bonnie Bisbee
We met Bonnie in her studio during Sierra Art Trails in 2007. She was quietly seated at the back of the room and invited us to browse her collection and ask if we had any questions. Extremely introverted and shy, she was not forthcoming with her stories, but once engaged in conversation, the wealth of insight through visions and spirituality poured forth.
As we got to know her, we became good friends. Her husband had been our dentist for years and mentioning that his wife was an artist was an understatement. Bonnie and a small group of her contemporaries, along with her teacher and mentor Norman Stiegelmeyer, started the Visionary Art Movement in San Francisco in the late 60’s to early 70’s.
We bought three of her paintings in 2017 after viewing about eighty of them to make our selection. Bonnie sat at the table with her eyes closed and recalled the vision and dreams that inspired her art. Each piece is rich in symbolism that expresses information she received in dreams. She was well read, intellectual, and spiritual with an appreciation of all religions and beliefs. She expresses many different sects in her art including Christianity, Buddhism, Native American, and her love of nature.
Both Bonnie and Dave loved philosophy. Her art reflects her deep beliefs and expression in the search for truth. Richly executed symbolism asks her viewers to dig deep into their own truths and allow her art to speak, heal and teach a path of love, light and thought.
We purchased the remaining ninety-nine paintings prior to her death in 2021. Her art is a significant contribution to all visionary artists. She is physically gone, but her spirit is very much alive, and her love of life will live on in her paintings forever.
– Jeff & Sheila Boyd