Bonita is in her last year of school at Aotea College. She describes herself as a novice, aware of so many things to explore in art, and so many ideas. At the moment she is attracted by both digital and traditional media. She is primarily self-taught though she has studied painting at college and a big inspiration is her older sister, especially for her colour choices. Bonita likes to sketch and paint with acrylics as in her work Insomnia, and this year she has been trying oil paint. She is looking forward to finding out more about the scholarship she has won.
Bonita says of her work:
“Silent prairies whistle in the wind. The darkness parades through tarry skies, leaving nothing unaffected in its wake. In this work, I seek to encapsulate the moments where sleep is unable to come, embodied by two juxtaposing figures. One kneels, tears gleaming under cold feet. Her languished body declines, whilst the other towers firmly above, unrelenting and fervent. The fiery moon oversees all, casting a luminous border onto the nearby surroundings. I have selected a range of bold, complementary colours to capture the mood at unrest, where the night is more alive than one may think.”