HISTORY
Some past newspaper clippings - best viewed on a desktop computer
WESTERN LEADER
Birds in Uniform 2009
Artist Bonnie Fraser is keen to showcase 10 New Zealand Birds in a new way. So the 25-year-old west Auckland resident has given them uniforms. A Sparrow in military gear, a Saddleback Pilot and a Police Officer Tui are among paintings in her latest exhibition.
Birds in Uniform is on daily from 9am to 4pm at The Packing Shed Gallery at 99 Parrs cross road until November 30. Its Bonnie's first solo show since graduating from Unitec with and arts degree in 2006. Shes now studying landscape design at the university.
The nature lover says in was a challenge to pick a uniform to suit each bird. "The Kingfisher looks very proud, so I gave him a Lord Nelson Napoleon style outfit. The Gannet is a Chef because he is very clean and surreal looking." Her take on the Kiwi is complete with cardigan, cap, and tobacco pipe. "He got to be an older man because I was thinking of a blind person with a walking stick" she says. Bonnie has sold paintings since she was 11, and does a lot of portraits. " I like seeing peoples reactions" she says
NZ HERALD FRONT PAGE
3rd place in national Adam portraiture competition 2000
Artist shows a Bonnie style. This is me: Bonnie Fraser's self-portrait won 3rd place and the 2000 portrait competition for 6th form students. The massey high 16 year old used a photo and a mirror to get the image. David Angus of wellington college came first. Herald picture / Mark Mitchell.
This painting took a month for me to complete - it was acrylic on board and I painted it on the dining table in my mum and dads house after school. I was aiming to win and was so pleased to be in the final 3. I won a voucher to buy my first art easel, and was flown down to Wellington for the opening where I was hosted in a friends of the gallery home.
NZ HERALD
Artist and the apprentice
Under the hammer: Bonnie Fraser with her interpretation of "Marlborough Gold" by Karen Butterworth.
Student artist's copy for auction
by Sarah Lawrence
A Massey schoolgirls copy of a known artist's work is to go under the auctioneer's hammer next week - all in a good cause. Bonnie Fraser is one of a dozen students who've been asked to interpret a piece of art in a bid to raise money for Barnados.
The 15-year-old is studying art at Massey High and was asked before the holidays to take part in the fundraiser - giving her time to prepare the artwork.
Her inspiration is a work by Karen Butterworth, and abstract piece with yellow as the dominant colour.
"Ive taken the shapes and made them bigger and emphasised the shadows she has used and taken away her browns and put green in its place" says Bonnie. " I am going to the auction and will see if it manages to get sold along with the original."
Barnados co-ordinator Kelly Bolus says the annual fundraiser targets the corporate world and will go a long way to helping children around the country.
The auction is on Friday July 23 as Auckland central's Chiaroscuro Gallery.
NOR-WEST NEWSBRIEF FRONT PAGE
Artists donate works for festival 1997
Two talented artists are putting their efforts behind the Waitakere Village Festival of arts and crafts on Sunday. Rod Burgess of Waitakere Village is donating a limited edition $1050 bronze sculpture "The Archer" While Bonnie Fraser (13), also of Waitakere is providing a painting of a Little Brown Kiwi for the Festival auction.
Bonnie, whos paintings have been snapped up by private collectors, will also hold her first exhibition at the festival. The Massey High school third former has never had any formal tuition other than through school classes. Her natural talent in painting a Waitakere scene so impressed the principal of her primary school at the time that he brought it. Since then she has sold about 10.