Bonnie Bronson (1940–1990) was an American painter and sculptor and one of

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

's most prominent artists during the 1970s–1980s. Randal Davis said that her work showed "an abiding love for the sheer beauty of materials and a fascination with unusual structures and systems." Bronson was born in Portland in 1940, and attended the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

, the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

, and the Portland Art Museum School. She married sculptor

Lee Kelly Lee Kelly (May 24, 1932 – March 28, 2022) was an American sculptor who has more than 30 sculptures on display between Eugene, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington. Kelly has been called "Oregon's sculptor". Personal life Born in rural McCall in ...

in 1961. After their Portland home and studio were heavily damaged in the Columbus Day Storm of 1962, they purchased a former dairy farm outside of

Oregon City ) , image_skyline = McLoughlin House.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = The McLoughlin House, est. 1845 , image_flag = , image_seal = Oregon City seal.png , image_map ...

, where they spent the rest of their lives. They had one child together Jason who died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

in 1978. In 1990, Bronson died at age 50 in a mountaineering accident on Mazama Glacier on Mount Adams,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. An award in her name, the Bonnie Bronson Fellowship, is presented to one Pacific Northwest artist each year.

Works

* ''

Tree of Life The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythological, religious, and philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The Assyrian Sacred Tree: A History ...

'' (1964), with Lee Kelly * ''

Leland I ''Leland I'', sometimes stylized as ''Leland 1'' or ''Leland #1'', is an outdoor 1975 sculpture by Lee Kelly and Bonnie Bronson, installed in Portland, Oregon, United States. Description and history ''Leland I'' was designed by Lee Kelly and Bo ...

'' (1975), with Lee Kelly

References

External links

Bronson's Legacy Lives On
Oregon Public Broadcasting {{DEFAULTSORT:Bronson, Bonnie 1940 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American painters 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American women artists Artists from Portland, Oregon Pacific Northwest College of Art alumni Painters from Oregon Sculptors from Oregon University of Kansas alumni University of Oregon alumni