Ben Bonart didn’t grow up planning to be an artist, though the Washington, D.C. native recollects being that child who could lose himself in Winslow Homer’s Breezing Up A Fair Wind painting during regular visits to the National Gallery.
After his freshman year as an art student at Tulane University, he earned his undergraduate degree from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, and from there, built a career in advertising and design. “I worked alongside so many award-winning art directors, creative directors, copywriters and strategists and was enamored by their talent, creativity and ingenuity,” he says.
Those were long days spilling into late evenings commuting from the Hudson River town of Nyack into Manhattan. They included starting his own creative services boutique and subsequently working at global advertising and design agencies, where he thrived personally and professionally.
Yet it was also a grind, which forced him to reevaluate. Bonart embraced this meandering thought that’s become something of his credo: Don’t focus so much on what you can’t do, because you can’t do it. Do what you can do, and the more you do what you can do, no matter how little it is, the things that you can’t do will start to become much easier.
So, he started painting and discovered his passion. “I started painting and five hours went by in what seemed like two seconds,” he says.
Maybe just maybe, he thought, there’s something here. So, he continued painting. Finally, his entire home was covered with paintings, enough for visitors to marvel and ask, “How many have you sold?”
Funny, he thought. But why not try?
Once Bonart started to show and connect with collectors, galleries and art shows, he realized his future as a painter, going what he calls “Full Metal Jacket” and leading to what is BonArt & Design. His style has evolved into a unique combination of color and design resulting in engaging art that appeals to all ages and lifestyles. It’s a combination of chance and deliberation — lively, energetic and full of color.
His joy is touching people through his “feel-good” art that combines color, texture and gold leaf on canvas — an effect even more profound reflecting in the light. “There’s enough gray in the world,” he says. “If I’m going to stare at it all day, I need to smile.”
Bonart travels south exhibiting his art in the colder months while moving northward to exhibit his work at summer/fall art shows. In addition to Rose Squared Art Shows, he exhibits in the Hamptons and in the D.C. area. He’s always happy to accept commissions and is humbled when people invite him into their home by buying a piece of art.
“I spent my entire life chasing my dream, and finally realized that I am living my dream” describes Bonart’s position on his life’s journey. You’ll find prints of his work online at benbonart.com, but nothing replaces seeing them close. Look for his booth at Anderson Park (Sept. 23-24) and Fall Brookdale Park (Oct. 21-22).
