Bonnie Holzhauer Bean lives 6 months of the year in Michigan, at her family's cottage on the banks of the Platte River in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. While exploring the north woods and lakeshore, Bonnie finds animal bones, driftwood and feathers. Two years ago Bonnie decided to explore her creative spirit by making an assemblage using the artifacts she finds. Titled "Spinal Chord", it included deer vertebrae and a deer skull. With encouragement from artist friends, Bonnie entered her piece into a juried art show at the Paul Oliver Art Center in Frankfort Michigan. To her surprise, the piece was accepted into the show. This was inspiration for Bonnie to explore more of her creative spirit. Her next assemblage,"Goddess Headdress", was inspired by the "Me Too" movement and the strong women Bonnie has encountered in her life. The Goddess Headdress combines deer hide, animal bones, beads, turkey and pheasant feathers. Bonnie dedicated her Goddess Headdress to a woman friend who passed away this past summer. The piece was on display at the Paul Oliver Art Center this fall. In the future, Mother Nature will continue to inspire Bonnie's newly found creative spirit.
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