Artist and writer Bonnie Bardos will speak about her life and work at the Lanier Library on Tuesday, Aug. 21 at noon. The program is free and everyone is welcome.
Well known to readers of the Tryon Daily Bulletin for her regular columns on happenings in Saluda, Bardos is also a significant presence in the local art scene, with works on display at several galleries in the area. She has received recognition for her art in one of the U.S.’ most important venues, Santa Fe, N.M., and her work has also been exhibited widely in North and South Carolina. Her short stories and poetry have been published in various literary publications, including ‘Counterpoint,’ and she also received recognition for her poetry in the Sidney Lanier Poetry Competition, sponsored by the Lanier Library.
Born in Ketchikan Island, Alaska, Bardos grew up in North Carolina and attended Wingate University. She has studied pen and ink drawing, watercolor and oil painting with numerous notable artists including Libby Johnson at the Arrowmont Craft School in Gatlinburg, Va., and Mike Stiler on Monhegan Island, Me.
Her work in various media is influenced by the natural world, with recurring images of landscapes, women, and birds, and wider cultural influences, from Asian poetry to Jungian symbolism. Describing her creative process, she says “I have come to realize over the stretching of years that the art I create: paintings, writings, or sculpture are all related by an underlying theme with common threads throughout the warp and weave. Whatever it is comes from the moment from within my deepest being. At the time, I may not understand why I’m drawn to create a particular thing, paint a particular piece. Yet, as time passes, I always do come to comprehend.”
The program is part of the Lanier Library’s Brown Bag Lunch series, which occurs on the third Tuesday of each month. Because of the timing, at noon, the audience is invited to bring a bag lunch to enjoy during the program. The Library provides the coffee.
– article submitted by Frances Flynn