About Me

I have been interested in art as long as I can remember and did quite a bit of pencil drawing when I was a child.  But with my legal career and my busy family, I never had time to really explore the love of art until now. I was raised in an artsy family - my father is a stained glass artist and my grandmother dabbled in all sorts of art from water color to oils, and even wood sculpture. So you might say it is in my genes. :) I never thought I could paint and I started my art journey making paper clay relief sculptures on wood panels, starting with the wood panels from my daughter's toddler bed! And then I found painting. It all started in the most unusual way, at a little local business I had started called Whoof on the Wharf,* where we specialized in getting people out on the water on kayaks with their dogs. I was looking for something to do in the winter months in the clubhouse at the marina, so I taught myself to paint dogs so that I could then lead paint night events where people paint a portrait of their own pup. I was initially so nervous... I watched a ton of videos. And then... I was hooked! That following year, I must have painted a hundred dogs in acrylic. :) I guess you could say, I am self taught? I love painting dogs and other animals in unusual and bright color combinations, including neon paint that glows under black light! I still lead paint nights locally, which I often title "Paint for Paws" as they are done in partnership with local rescue organizations as a fund raising event. I am so incredibly privileged to be able to use my art to help homeless animals. A year after I started painting dogs, I was fortunate enough to join the Muddy Creek Artist Guild, where I have the opportunity to interact with a wonderfully talented and supportive group of artists. I started to become interested in other forms of art, starting with acrylic pour painting. I found that the abstract look, however, was not my cup of tea, so I started embellishing the pour paintings to bring out images that appeared in the paint. After doing pour paint art and painting other animals for another year, I was inspired to try my hand at ethereal landscapes embellished with tiny animals. Some of these animals were painted with the tiniest hair of my tiniest paint brush!  More recently, I was introduced to a wonderful artist and now friend who encouraged me to try soft pastels. With much trepidation, I am also beginning a self study on painting with oil on copper panels. I hope you enjoy the pages of this website, which are meant to give a flavor of each stage of my journey and also highlight some tips and tricks I have learned and the people that have inspired me along the way. You will see that the love of animals is a prominent theme in my art, including woodland animals as I now spend a good part of the year in my log cabin in the Keweenaw of Upper Michigan. Another prominent theme is my faith in Christ. It is only by God's grace that any of us are able to pursue our passions and I believe that all the talents we are given and the people that are placed in our lives who foster those talents are a precious gift from Him. 

*Whoof on the Wharf is closing for kayak rentals and events at end of August 2025. But my paint event fund raisers will live on under the business name Paint to the Rescue! You can find out more on my new website dedicated to my paint fund raising events, painttotherescue.com (link below)!

NOTE: If you are interested in buying one of my pieces, please reach out through the email below! You can also go to my online store at bonniemcleodart.com (in progress), and look for me in person at MCAG events.