Sculptures
by Bonnie Kiefer
1 . 4 0 7 . 5 3 8 . 1 9 4 2 bonnievkiefer@gmail.com
ABOUT ME . . .
Without having any formal traditional art training or degree (other than a few elective art classes in middle school and high school back in the day!), I feel very fortunate enough to have some "natural talent". I believe my creativity came from my Mother and my technical eye came from my Grandpa. I have special memories of being a little girl in Michigan sitting close next to my Grandpa while he drew shapes, geometric designs and explained their angles and perspective although I had NO clue what he was talking about at the time~! I cherish the memories of my amazingly talented Mother always coming up with new design projects for everything, especially her clothing designs, art projects, redecorating the house all of the time, etc., in which I was always there as her little assistant. If she had an interest in something, she would find a way to learn it on her own and she was the perfect example of how to be extremely resourceful and independent. She was an advocate for learning new things and being great at everything you do, which is how I believe I became so well self-taught on my own with my art.
Almost all of my early pieces were drawings done using just a regular #2 pencil or colored pencil. Interestingly though, If you gave you me a blank piece of paper and said "draw something" I could only sketch out a horse (due to my passion for horses and the familiarity). However, if you showed me a picture of something, my brain immediately reproduces the object as it is, which means my natural style is more realism than anything. I didn't work in any other medium until I noticed a local commercial art studio back in the early 90's and showed them my drawings. They hired me based off of those few drawings and I soon gained experience painting murals and art pieces with acrylics and learned various other types of art crafting skills. In 1999, an airbrush kit was bought for me as a gift by my Dad and Step Mother. I immediately took a Beginner class in airbrushing (a total of 6 hours) and got permanently hooked on airbrushing. The airbrush instructor told me I was "too advanced for his beginner classes" and encouraged me to seek advanced airbrushing classes. However, advanced classes were way too expensive for me at that time, so I decided to continue learning on my own by trial and error.
​
​At the time I was learning to airbrush, I had randomly bought a piece of clay and started pushing it around to make a face (or something, I can't remember). I was absolutely amazed at what I could create with clay and I continued to learn sculpting and airbrushing on my own with practice and sometimes by reading books on sculpting and also researching articles on the new "internet". One day a friend suggested that instead of hand painting my sculptures, I should try airbrushing them. I was amazed by the soft, realistic results I could achieve from airbrushing and have been using this technique on my all of my sculptures ever since, even though I do still have to hand paint the fine details.
​
​
​
I spend dozens if not hundreds of hours to create each sculpture. I don't rush because I have to get to a point that I feel "comfortable" with the results at each phase. Sculpting is still fairly new to me and with each piece that I create, I learn more efficient ways to sculpt and make the most durable pieces of art. I also see improvements in my skills with each completed piece and have loved the challenges while learning to sculpt, even the small individual challenges each piece brings. There is always a little bit of something that makes each sculpture memorable to me. Sculpting from a square block of packaged clay and seeing it turn into a life-like looking organic object is so thrilling for me. I love the challenge of proving to myself that I can make it into anything I want. What amazes me about the airbrushing process is how the subject starts to "come to life" with every layer of paint and every change of color, especially towards the end of the airbrushing process.
When it comes to doing a replica for someone, I care about each piece that I am working on. I want the owner of my art piece to have a real reaction when they see their finished piece. The reactions are usually genuine tears mixed with joy and sadness, sometimes giggling when the sculpture makes them remember a moment they shared with the subject and it means the world to me to be told that my sculpture has "captured the essence, character and soul" of the subject for them.
​
I have sent many misfit pieces of clay to the trash and have scrapped many ideas that I have started, but now I keep all of my misfit pieces. They have inspired me to create pieces that are "outside the box" and have made me realize I can create anything within my imagination. I decided to start a collection called My MISFITS.
​
​
Digital Art......The traditional art that I have created my whole life set a great foundation for my acquired Digital Art skills. When the economy took a dive back in 2008, I was down and out like so many other people and felt the need to take a chance on a major career "enhancement". With computers being the obvious way of life, I wanted to find a way to continue making art using computers. I chose The Digital Animation & Visual Effects School (DAVE School) in Orlando, Florida and graduated in 2011. Although I am able to create my sculptures using 3D software and print them out using the newest technology in 3D printing, I prefer creating my clay sculptures just as much using traditional methods by sculpting the clay with my own hands and then airbrushing them.
With the many skills I learned from digital art school, I feel very fortunate to be able to create art on so many levels. Other than my sculptures, I occasionally create professional level marketing designs, video clips, animations and other types of art and enjoy the creative projects that I receive upon personal request.
My greatest passion in life has been riding and showing horses for most of my life. I have proudly owned several wonderful horses over the years. I am currently taking a break from horse ownership to focus on building a clientele for my sculptures. Currently, I ride lightly during the cooler winter season and more in the evenings during the summer. I have plans to open an equestrian facility in Florida some day~!
"Ariel"
My Beloved Border Collie, Ariel, that I was so incredibly lucky to have as my best friend for almost 15 years.
Maybe one day I can make a sculpture of her, but every time I try, the tears keep coming and they get in the way...
** Rest In Peace my sweet friend...I am so happy to always feel your presence at my side **
