Bonco
Bonco
Work by Bonco
Work by Bonco
Enjoy our Q & A with Auckland artist Bonco
𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫?
I only started painting in my mid 40’s when I was undertaking my MFA at Elam. Previously, I was a fashion photographer in New York for 8 years and produced books of my personal work which sold at places like MOMA and the Tate Modern. The subjects of the books were all about things I didn’t have – tattoos, hair and dogs. Now I have a dog (and a cat).
𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚…?
visual person. Yes, I have always worked in fields that were visually satisfying. My Bachelor’s degree was in art history, then I went into antiques for a few years before spending the next 10 years involved in the jewellery industry. After that it was photography. Now I am painting full time.
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞?
I am fortunate to have a studio on Karangahape Road that I share with another artist. I also have the same easel and chair at home so I can just transport my paint and brushes between home and studio. This way I can maximize my output working on two canvases at a time.
𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭?
From this side of the world I’m currently enjoying Roy Good (@roygoodartnz) and Vita Cochran (@vitacochran) among many. Internationally, I love the work of Sarah Slappey (@sslappey), Loie Hollowell (@loiehollowell), Nicolas Party (@nicolasparty) and Jordy Kerwick (@jordykerwick)
𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞?
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤?