Collection: Bonnie Marris

Bonnie Marris 

While a student at Michigan State University, Bonnie Marris illustrated several books, including a mammalogy text authored by a leading expert in the field. Her work on that publication drew the attention of noted zoologist George Schaller, who invited her to create artwork for posters supporting his international rare-animal relief initiatives. Marris makes several field trips each year to observe her animal subjects firsthand, and this close study allows her to paint them with confidence and authenticity in their natural environments.

Marris’ work is included in major collections across the country, and she has received numerous awards throughout her career. At the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, she won the Patrons’ Choice Award in 2010 and the People’s Choice Award in 2011. At the Masters of the American West exhibition at the Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles, she received the 2012 Patrons’ Choice Award for Social Viewpoints, the Bob Kuhn Wildlife Award, the Ross and Billie McKnight Artists’ Choice Award, and the Marjorie and Frank Sands Patrons’ Choice Award in 2014 for Ice Princess. She was again honored with the Patrons’ Choice Award in 2016 for her painting Trouble.

Marris lives with her husband, Woody, on a farm in Ada, Michigan, where they share their home with two dogs and three horses. She is represented by Broadmoor Galleries in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Trailside Galleries in Jackson, Wyoming, and Scottsdale, Arizona.