A Different Perspective

Jul 20, 2021

Local artist Bonnie McLean is setting off in a new direction to communicate light and colour in her paintings.

A departure from her usual acrylic paintings of women enjoying their lives, she is now focussing on compositions of a more architectural nature. Architecture has long been a keen interest of Bonnie’s and she is now mixing the discipline of architectural rendering with her own unique whimsical style. Rather than strict adherence to proportion and perspective, her adaptations create a more captivating and enchanting view.

Informed by her travels throughout Canada and abroad, she has been inspired to document her memories through urban sketching.

“Sketching the places she has visited seems to catch the spirit and atmosphere much more so than a photograph would,” she said.

The pandemic and a couple of minor mishaps have had a hand in her new approach to painting. Confined to her home, she has had more time to dedicate to her art and as a result she has been trying out some new materials and mediums. While painting with watercolours is not new for Bonnie, her focus up to now has been on her acrylic paintings of free-spirited women pursuing their hedonistic pleasures, a subject matter that she still delights in. Although the stories she tells with her acrylic and watercolour paintings are very different her objective remains unchanged and that is to bring a smile to the face of the viewer, although they have been known to produce the occasional tear.

Bonnie lives on an acreage beside Duncan Lake, in Central Frontenac, with her life partner and two spunky cairn terriers. She exhibits her paintings in galleries in southern Ontario, as well as local art shows and private collections throughout Canada, USA, Europe and Asia. She has participated in numerous exhibitions and won a number of awards for her art. Her paintings can be viewed on her website: bonniemcleanart.square.site and on Instagram @mcleanart4351 or by special arrangement at her studio in Tichborne. She can be contacted by email - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call (613) 305 2308.

Her portraits of homes, cottages or storefronts would make a delightful gift or lovely memento of a wonderful visit. She is happy to accept commissions for her acrylic paintings, house portraits or personalized hand-painted greeting cards.