Meet the Artist: Pat Carroll Bonander, Waterworks by Pat
By Kelli Comer
“We don’t make mistakes; we have happy accidents.” —Bob Ross
Local watercolor artist Pat Carroll Bonander takes Bob Ross’s sage advice to heart when capturing her unique view of nature. A simple stroke of Pat’s brush often has a different effect than originally intended, but those happy kinds of accidents turn out beautifully unexpected just the same.
Pat has a passion for watercolors. Her art journey has taken her through various media, such as pastels and acrylics, but it’s the luminosity and transparency unique to watercolors that has captured her heart.
“I believe the creative process of painting with watercolors start to finish is always interesting and challenging,” Pat says. “Water will do what water wants to do, often resulting in happy accidents that add unexpected but unique elements to my paintings.”
Primarily self-taught, Pat began painting in the ’90s and continues to attend workshops to improve her skills. She has been juried into the Fairmount Center for the Arts show and has been recognized for her work at the Euclid Arts Association and Stella’s Art Gallery shows. Pat’s work has been displayed in Ohio and Michigan galleries. Pat is the president of the Willoughby Arts Collaborative, a local non-profit organization whose mission is to support a community rich in the arts, improving the lives of residents, visitors, and businesses in and around Lake County through a robust connection to and a genuine investment in arts and culture. She is also on the board of the Women’s Committee of the Fine Arts Association.
Pat specializes in creating landscapes, seascapes and everyday life scenes that truly capture the essence of the world around us. She recently expanded into giving her work functionality by creating mugs and frameable cards from her artwork.
“I have always loved the outdoors and gardening and try to reflect that in my paintings by the natural beauty of our surroundings,” Pat explains. “The medium of watercolor allows me to capture nature at its finest—a blending of wonderful colors that are never the same twice.”
Pat’s hope is that when her work is viewed, the viewer is transported into the painting, imagining what’s around the corner, in the garden or over the mountain.
“I am truly thankful that I am continuously inspired by the grandeur of Ohio and the beautiful Erie shores, which, in my opinion, are some of the most scenic in the country,” Pat smiles.
To reach Pat, you can email her at waterworksbypat@gmail.com. Visit WaterworksByPat.com for more information. Her work can be purchased locally at Stella’s Art Gallery, Etc. on Erie and The Wholesome Hippie.