About ART STARTS HERE:

Owned by mother and daughter team,
Debbie and Sarah, Art Starts Here offers art classes for students pre-school to adults. They provide supplies for most classes and are always coming up with new projects to jump start your imagination. Located in a cute adobe-style shopping center at 8453 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Las Vegas, Nevada 89128.

Precious Things
Works by Bonnie Kelso

at ART STARTS HERE
May 1 - 31, 2009

About the exhibit...

The most precious thing to me as a human being is the natural planet we live on. Protecting and conserving our natural places and the creatures we share them with has always been a part of my mission as an artist. My paintings are tributes to places and creatures that are a part of our delicate ecosystems. My passion for painting reflects a greater passion for discovering and appreciating the natural world around me. There is beauty in the surface of a rock, in the polyps of a coral formation, and in the movement of falling water. These are the precious things I look to for inspiration when creating art.

This exhibition features several small collections of work as well as many individual pieces. An adventurer at heart, I enjoy exploring the canyons of the southwest, some of which are not easily accessible. There is a special feeling when exploring a place that not everyone will get a chance to see. From tight slot canyons and secret waterfalls to glaciated peaks, there are endless surprises to discover in this desert I live in.

As a scuba diver I have learned the careful art of observation. Discovering small creatures within the coral reefs has been one of my favorite activities over the years. My greatest inspiration, my muse, is the nudibranch, or sea slug. Its colorful patterns and flowing form never ceases to impress me.

Since there are limits to recreational diving, I have begun to use more of my imagination with my new "BIO" series. These creatures are based on deep sea creatures that have bioluminescent properties. Where there is no light from the sun, these creatures create their own light from within. This has been a playful series for me as I try to characterize a world that seems more alien than earthly.

I hope you will enjoy this exhibition at "Art Starts Here." I believe in supporting grass-roots art programs such as the many provided by Art Starts Here. Together we can achieve a greater appreciation for art within our community and nurture the creative entity inside us all. I have described where my art starts from, now where does yours? What are the precious things in your life?

A portion of all my art sales goes towards environmental conservation programs. For more information, please take a card and visit my web site at www.bkelso.com.