Miracle in Waiting, 20 1/2" x 15"

Bonine moved to her Arizona ranch property with her mother and one of her sons in 1994. With the natural beauty of the desert as her inspiration, and recovering from her illness, the artist says she turned back to the “business of art.”

She first approached the Arizona market through the Thunderbird Artists’ Carefree Fine Art and Wine Festival, a venue at which she continues to exhibit.

Judi Combs, owner and president of Thunderbird Artists, has come to know Bonine well. Of her talent, she says, “She just shines. She is not only a beautiful painter, but when you look at her florals, you know it’s a Jeanne Bonine.” There is a softness about the artist’s paintings and also her personality that appeals to people, Combs notes. “Patrons have cried—they’re just very touched by her work.”

North Scottsdale residents Else and David Moe first encountered Bonine’s works at a local art festival and were immediately captivated. “It was an awesome experience looking at her beautiful watercolors, seeing cactus plants that are flowering in colors that are so bold yet so soft,” Else says.

Rhythm of Romance, 18 1/2" x 29"

The couple now owns four originals. Else says the pieces seem to have a restorative effect on the viewer because they are “so peaceful.” That same mood often is expressed in the writings the artist pre-sents with each work, and the paintings’ titles, Moe adds. “It shows they had such meaning to her when she painted them.”

While she has painted desert wildlife and other subjects, it is plants of the desert that Bonine often relates to on a personal level. “I’ve learned about survival from desert plants that grow when they’re not supposed to. When you see the detail of the plant, you know there’s a higher power.”

For Bonine, there is no contradiction between the prickly thorns of a cactus set against its curvy and colorful blooms. Her paintings bring these divergent elements together with a somehow believable softness. “I romance the cactus,” explains the woman who has been called a Romantic Realist.