Monthly Archives: July 2011

Eric Bowman Studio Visit

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No trip to Portland would be complete without stopping for a visit at the studio of our latest figurative artist Eric Bowman, who just finished his first very successful show at Bonner David last month.  Located in a friendly suburb behind a white picket fence was not only a breathtaking blue hydrangea in full bloom, but a large white building with an arc roof.  Greeted by his gallery pooch and daughter Lily, we entered this vast two-story space.In the middle was a raised platform, ready for his talented models, such as Shadow Moon, to take the stage while Eric artfully paints at his easel nearby.  Since he had just finished his show at Bonner David, he only had a few new paintings he was working on, but they are in keeping with his musical and dance theme.

 He took us upstairs where the “business” of his art operations is conducted, away from the painting area.  His studio boasts a large storage area and the studio has big doors for large canvases.  Of course there’s a play area for Lily.  Eric casually admitted that his studio is actually bigger than his adjacent home and that he’d dreamed for years of having such a studio.  With such a wonderful place to work, so near all the comforts of home, it is no wonder that Eric is able to create some of the most wonderful figurative paintings around!  We are lucky to have him as a member of the Bonner David family.

A Visit to Romona Youngquist’s Studio

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Driving up a steep hill seeing a beautiful blue sky dotted with clouds I arrived at the studio and Oregon home of talented landscape artist Romona Youngquist.  She promised that I would want to move to Oregon and with the temperature in the 70s compared to the 110 degree heat of Phoenix; I was almost ready to admit she was right. 

I was initially greeted by her five puppies, in all shapes and sizes and then noticed the beautiful gardens around her home before going inside and climbing to her 3rd floor studio—a space all designated for her art.  Out her double window are mountains, vineyards, rolling hills and, of course, magnificent skies.  I was initially drawn to her painting table covered with mounds of paint as well as the 4 or 5 works she had in progress.  As she gave me a tour, she explained how she works, eventually taking the paintings downstairs to display on the large walls of her dining room to “live with them” for a bit and see if there’s anything else they need before being shipped off to a gallery.

As I spent the day with her, we took a drive around the beautiful wine country of greater Dundee, often seeing the locations she paints.  Having seen over 300 of her works, I recognized many a spot and was eager to hear the time of day she found best to capture these images.  We even stopped at the Allison Inn & Spa where Romona has two very large paintings which attract a great deal of attention.

Romona is a morning person, often getting up at 5 AM to begin her day of painting.  Once the coffee is made, she can sit and reflect on her work, and while she works through the day, she has the company of her dogs, her music, and that stunning view.  She is an avid baker and cook (she even tried out for Master Chef with rabbit as her main ingredient).  We got to taste her delicious blueberry pancakes, peppered bacon, poppy seed muffins and drank pots of coffee.

But I kept going back to the clouds I would see; wisps of white that Romona captures so vividly and seemingly effortlessly in her paintings as she is known for her ever-changing skies.  To be around a true talent and to be able to see the natural beauty that inspires her and hearing her explain what she looks for is a rare treat for a collector like me who has not one wit on artistic talent or ambition.  For a day, I could experience Romona’s world.  For all of the hundreds of collectors who enjoy her work, I say “thank you” for the wonderful artistic gift you share with us.  I only wish all of our loyal Youngquist collectors could have the same experience—but then poor Romona wouldn’t have time to paint, the very thing she does best.  Thanks, Romona, for a most memorable visit!