Today we’d like to introduce you to Miki Boni.
Hi Miki, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When I was just four, I can vividly remember sitting on the floor,
leaning against a coffee table drawing portraits of our family.
A native New Yorker, I began my career in the Village drawing
street portraits. Art followed me throughout school,
and since I’ve always dreamt of visiting other countries, I chose
Mexico where the colors were amazingly bright and I found myself
drawn to that country’s muralists and by its Surrealism. I spent
five years living there as a teacher, writer and working artist. I
taught Perception, Life Drawing and Painting at the University of
Guanajuato in San Miguel de Allende while working toward my
Master’s Degree. In order to graduate, I had to
create my first one-woman exhibition. No pressure!!
When I returned to New York, my work was exhibited at Lincoln Center’s
Cork Gallery and at WomanArt Galleries before they retired. It was during
those years I was listed in Who’s Who of American Women and elected
to Washington DC’s National League of American Pen Women for
accomplishments in the visual arts.
Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” The travel bug
hit me, and I began traveling extensively, gathering image bank
material that I dip into frequently for my work.
Most recently, recipients of an ArtsMove grant, my husband and I relocated
to Chattanooga, Tennessee from Bradenton, Florida’s Village of the Arts.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My major challenge was Covid. Although I disn’t contact the disease, I was homebound like everyone else and I couldn’t force myself to paint again. Maybe it was depression that set in and I couldh’t connect with the artist in me. This was a first and I was devastated. It took several months before I was able to pick up a brush again.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Other than my love of painting animal portraits, I specialize in abstract patterning.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Figments: Visual Magic and Tiny Tales” is a book I published based on a series of my paintings. (See cover art below). Readers of all ages are encouraged to complete the unfinished stories. Each of these little tales, accompanied by a painting is charged with mystery, mischievous wit and occasional absurdities. Readers will appreciate the book in different ways according to their ages. The young will enjoy the tales; adult readers will recognize the metaphors.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mikiboni.com
