Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bonita Helmer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Bonita, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
Like many artists, I feel as if I had no choice. It really wasn’t up to me. I have had the creative instinct since I was a child. I came from a musical family and so there was always music in our house; a baby grand piano where my mother played classical music and my father sang more of the popular music of that time.My father also worked in the Design business. At about 8 years old my mother enrolled my in classical ballet classes and she was the pianist for the studio. From that point forward I went on to continue all kinds of dance; classical ballet, modern including Spanish dance. At 8 years old I performed at the Hollywood Bowl. I always liked drawing quietly in my room and the art projects in elementary school. When I was in kindergarten, we were supposed to draw houses. I did my house and made a very black sky. The teacher didn’t like it and thought it was too dark. I told her it was night. Everyone else made blue skies. I already had my own vision. In middle school I studied art on a more serious level. I also began acting lessons and was in local professional theatre at the age of 12. In my 20’s I was in a professional dance ensemble called Aman. During that period it became clear to me that I needed to make a choice between the various art forms in order to truly become a professional. I chose visual art because, first and foremost, I realized I could pursue visual art for my whole life without age limitation. Also, it simply became my favorite pursuit.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
When I began to seriously study art I knew that I had to continue in school for a degree but the traditional path was limited for me. I had to work during the days to support myself and so I took several extension and evening courses in many well- established schools. I studied independently with some powerful master painters. Eventually, my degree in fine art was issued through Antioch University who put all the various classes and schools together for a BFA.. Then I did graduate work at Otis College of Art and Design where I ironically, many years later, became a teacher of painting. I have always loved painting, because of the immediate connection between mind, symbol and body through the hand working directly on a surface. My specialty in painting began with symbolism in an expressive style. As an adult, I became involved in several mystical studies including Buddhism and Kabbalah. After a while I began to see the connection between my work and explorations with information that was coming from Hubble telescope, new physics and space. This began in the 90’s. Now there is a lot of information available but at the time I was at the beginning of combining spirituality and space and New Physics. By combining these various studies, I hope to project a response to our human nature, time and space and the underlying need for humans to explore unknown territories. At one time, several years ago, I was on the board of The Exploration Institute which was based at JPL sharing the impulse to explore the unknown for scientists, space explorers and artists. My paintings are many layered and textured and one of the responses that I often receive from my collectors is “after so many years I just saw something new in your painting” Constant exploration is what I hope to achieve.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
There was a time in my early to midcareer that I was forced to deal with many obstacles. At that time, I became somewhat successful for a woman in the art world as well as a self-supporting artist, but I unexpectedly had to move locations not by choice but necessity. At that time I was supported financially by painting sales through galleries in L.A., San Francisco and Paris. with supplemented income through teaching art. Right after the move I became diagnosed with breast cancer and had to go through the various healing processes involved. I was forced to stay isolated but I kept on painting when I could. After healing and being blessed with a healthy diagnosis I had to go through a hip replacement. It was due to an injury I acquired while moving paintings. After these two debilitating medical and financial challenges, I thought this might be a sign to find another kind of vocation. But I proceeded forward because my art practice was infused with lots of mystical studies that actually helped me heal while exploring the unknown realms of spirituality, physics and space. I moved forward slowly but never quit my work. My paintings became even more infused with mysticism and healing and the unknown structures found in new physics. The result was some of the best work of my career. In fact, recently two of the pieces from that era were acquired by a Beijing Museum. Again, as I discussed earlier, I don’t think I have a choice. It is an innate part of the artist personality to keep exploring.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part of being an artist is sharing this incredible journey with others. I always say that I meet the most interesting and intelligent people through the arts; gallerists, consultants, historians, reviewers and of course collectors. We share so much in the way of adventure, business, and passion for art. The other satisfying aspect to my career has been to teach. My students have included children, college students and adults. I have also taught high school boys in prison, through the City of Los Angeles, and an afterschool program in South Central L.A. Most of these students had very little exposure to art and to watch their “eyes open” to new possibilities was so heartwarming and meaningful. Art is so precious as a resource to discover and express one’s inner self.
Contact Info:
- Website: BonitaHelmer.com
- Instagram: Bonita_Helmer
- Facebook: Bonita Helmer
- Linkedin: Bonita Helmer