Whether it is absorbing the dynamic colors of a painting she just completed, seeing the smiles and excitement on the faces of a family for whom she found the perfect house, or showing her art work in a one woman show or at the Café Artiste in Ocean Grove, it is easy to see there are lots of things that keep Bonnie Ambrosia the happy and hard working woman she is.
The Tinton Falls resident, who was actually born on Long Island but raised in this Monmouth County town, settled here once again with her husband Rick, when the couple purchased a town house a couple of years ago. Now she feels she has come full circle and loves being back and in the residential area as well as continuing both her artwork and her professional position in real estate in Monmouth County.
Bonnie has been a realtor for more than 30 years and excels at her profession, a field she chose simply because “I love every minute of it.” She also has a passion for helping people buy or sell their homes, a work that comes as second nature to her after art.
That she excels in art as well as cannot be denied. While she holds an associate’s degree in art from Brookdale, a degree she earned by attending class at night while working full time and raising her children, it’s the medals, awards, and accolades she has received that keep her happy. She has a natural talent, a love of colors and an ability to create something joyous, happy, and eye catching.
The artist works in a lot of blues and greens, but admits that yellow is her favorite color, although she does not paint in it often. “Maybe I’m saving it for myself,” she laughs, “ It seems the public loves my blues and whites, and green/blues & white paintings … although I’m always surprised on what a person picks.”
Bonnie also admits she does not know how her finished piece will look, since while she has an idea when she starts, she prefers to let her mood, sometimes music, or the flow of the paint and her other tools guide the direction for the completed work of art.
The artist works primarily in acrylics, and chiefly on gallery wrapped canvas because of the versatility of the images she creates. She laughs when she says she uses “all kinds of tools” besides brushes, in order to include all her desired effects on canvas.
Gallery wrapped canvas refers to the appearance of her work with the canvas stretched and held taut as she is working. It creates the illusion of either a solid color or colors derived from the adjacent image spreading to the sides as well. The paint is also fast drying and non-toxic, Bonnie notes, both of which are important to her. The completed works are dimensional, with the colors spilling over the sides, and no need for any framing.
The list of Bonnie’s recognition for her talent appears endless and is definitely impressive. Her most recent award was a third-place last month in the Monmouth County Senior Art Show.
“It was a great event and I was honored and humbled to win and represent my age group, “ the busy and active lady explained. Although she herself is a senior citizen, she points out that “Seniors make up a sizable portion of the population and most of them seem to have time to explore their creative endeavors with extra time in retirement. I, on the other hand, am not retired. I work full time as a Realtor for Better Homes & Gardens, Murphy & Co, Red Bank.”
But that hasn’t stopped her from winning many other awards, including many 1st, 2nd, 3rd place ribbons, monetary awards, honorable mentions, achievement awards, through The Guild of Creative Arts in Shrewsbury, The Arts Society of Monmouth County in Middletown, and the Monmouth Arts in Red Bank.”
Bonnie is a member of each of those organizations, as well as the Art Alliance in Red Bank. She is affiliated with Locals Art Space in Asbury Park, a gallery which recently closed, when its owner/artist Patricia Arroyo accepted an opportunity to do large commission pieces for a benefactor.
But it is Arroya that this artist credits with launching her into the world of local art . “Tricia encouraged me to have a one-woman art exhibit at her gallery in Asbury Park in August of 2021. I exhibited close to 70 paintings at that first show and sold more than half of them. It was a super inspiration to forge on and work on putting my paintings out into the world.”
Bonnie has a talent for naming her paintings as well as creating them. She candidly admits “I name all my paintings, and I love that part of my work! The name comes to me as I’m working on it or when I complete it. I’m not a writer by profession, however with my career in Real Estate I have had to write descriptive copy for flyers, brochures, and listings on a daily basis and since I have always loved to write, beginning with writing in a journal as a young woman, and taking writing classes in college, it just seems to come easy to name my creations.”
Bonnie’s work is available to see on her website, BambrosiaCreations.com and is also available for sale. She’s currently looking for a store or restaurant where she can display some of her works and offer them for sale as well. Prices for her work range from $75 for smaller paintings to up to $650 for some of the larger works. She also offers special prices at exhibits including Art in the Park in Long Branch and other similar venues.
Another of the artist’s special locales is CAFE’ ARTISTE’ located in the former Neptune High School. The center houses a theater, art studios, classes, and more. Twice a month, there is original music, each band, usually about five, playing three to five original songs. While they are doing this, a visual artist paints on a stage on the side. Bonnie particularly enjoyed one of the nights she painted there, enthusing over the blend of talents in so many different fields.
With a husband to whom she’s devoted after nearly half a century together, a profession she loves and a talent that keeps others happy, Bonnie still has time to enjoy, brag about, and spend with her family, which includes two sons, Thomas, a published author, former Marine and retired Long Branch police officer, now a professional working in Homeland Security, and Jason, an environmentalist and civil engineers with the Army Corps of Engineers, a stepdaughter, Joni, now living in Washington State who travels to Europe to visit her daughter, an Air Force wife, and five grandchildren, four of them boys. Bonnie and Rick also helped raise another daughter, Victoria, after she lost her own mom when Victoria was a teenager.
“I’m happy to take on commissions as well,” this proud artist added. “I can paint any size and take the buyer’s choice for color schemes. I also have a business motto,” she grins, “ If the buyer doesn’t like the completed painting, they do not have to buy it. work with focus and determination to get it right. But if the buyer doesn’t feel it, I will show that painting in another show because I know it’s my best work.”
Tired of Facebook? You can also Find ViniVidiScripto on the Following Platforms …
Artiste Artiste Artiste Artiste Artiste Artiste Artiste
