Raymond Bonilla
I strive to create art that records my observation of the world around me, whether it be a direct observation or a statement of internal reflection. Ultimately, I seek to make work that is a "visual journal" of the human condition.
Raymond Bonilla is a nationally recognized illustrator and fine artist in Buffalo, NY. Raymond graduated from the State University in New York at Fredonia in 2005 with a degree in New Media and Illustration. He continued his studies at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco where he completed his Masters of Fine Art in 2009.
He was awarded Best in Show in the Great Lakes Emerging Artist Competition, was a finalist in the Artists Magazine Annual Art Competition, has been awarded Gold Medals in advertising from both Society of Illustrators of New York and Los Angeles, and juried into the Communication Arts Illustration Annual. He currently lives in Buffalo, New York where he spends his time painting and teaching part-time at SmART School and Visual Arts Passage. He is represented by Principle Gallery in Alexandria,VA, Abend Gallery in Denver, CO and Meibohm Fine Arts Gallery in East Aurora, NY.
My interest in painting and animation lies in the role of an “illustrator as a visual journalist” and the subject of memory. While painting and animation have approaches and aesthetics that may be unique to themselves, at their core these disciplines both allow artists the ability to document the human experience. My art is rooted in the influences of impressionist painters, illustrators, and animators of the 19th and 20th centuries. In my work I use an artistic language that is deeply rooted in the visual vocabulary of figurative and abstract art of the past. From these, I take the traditional artistic tools of color and form, which allow me to immerse viewers in my pictures, allowing those viewers to appreciate my work both for its literal and abstract qualities.
Raymond's Website
He was awarded Best in Show in the Great Lakes Emerging Artist Competition, was a finalist in the Artists Magazine Annual Art Competition, has been awarded Gold Medals in advertising from both Society of Illustrators of New York and Los Angeles, and juried into the Communication Arts Illustration Annual. He currently lives in Buffalo, New York where he spends his time painting and teaching part-time at SmART School and Visual Arts Passage. He is represented by Principle Gallery in Alexandria,VA, Abend Gallery in Denver, CO and Meibohm Fine Arts Gallery in East Aurora, NY.
My interest in painting and animation lies in the role of an “illustrator as a visual journalist” and the subject of memory. While painting and animation have approaches and aesthetics that may be unique to themselves, at their core these disciplines both allow artists the ability to document the human experience. My art is rooted in the influences of impressionist painters, illustrators, and animators of the 19th and 20th centuries. In my work I use an artistic language that is deeply rooted in the visual vocabulary of figurative and abstract art of the past. From these, I take the traditional artistic tools of color and form, which allow me to immerse viewers in my pictures, allowing those viewers to appreciate my work both for its literal and abstract qualities.
Raymond's Website
Instructor's Courses
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