About the Artist Daniel Bonnell

Images On Christ Project by Daneil Bonnell

Commentary from Daniel Bonnell

Speaking of himself, Bonnell says, "I am a painter, however, I am a husband and father first. Being very right brained, I struggle with striking a balance between being true to my art and meeting the needs of my family.

"All of my paintings are produced in the half-light of constant doubt about my choices. What is sure is the rawness of each decision. It is better to be bold and loud than to be withdrawn and silent.

"My work is only completed by the viewer, none of the works stand alone, rather they beg the viewer to remove layer upon layer of meaning, as if each painting is dying to tell the viewer a secret or it cannot breathe to hang on the wall another day.

"I am so very grateful for all the patrons that make up Images On Christ. The support of all these individuals encourages me to continue to paint. I hope that you too will join. We are all only seeking to see as Christ does.

"Lastly, I must confess that I struggle with working out my salvation daily—like many followers of Christ, I have come to the conclusion that Christ delivers His grace and sovereign will to me inspite of myself, and my daily failures of trying to follow Him. I can only pray that He will do as He will with this work, and that I will never get in the way.

"Thank you for taking the time to spend time with my work. Please escape to this exhibition and spend time with each painting. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

"This one thing—to bless the Father by honoring His Son."

A Brief Word from the Artist

"When we meditate on scripture we meditate on the words themselves. However, there were divine moments that occurred before, during and after each scripture. For instance, the moment before Jesus raised Jairus’ aughter from death to life as he hesitates for moment—reflecting on what death did to his original creation, even this little girl.

"Spend time with each painting. The best way to do this is to view the title and just let the painting talk to you before reading the devotion about each painting. Allow the Holy Spirit to use the paintings to speak directly to you no matter what your need. They are only tools to a deeper devotion with the Christ. It is not unusual to spend a whole evening with one painting. It is all about seeing and then simply listening. The Father is longing to talk with you all you have to do is listen. The mystery of seeing is seeing the mystery."

About the Artist Daniel Bonnell

Daniel Bonnell graduated from the Atlanta College of Art in 1978 with a Bachelor of Fine Art Degree. While at ACA his painting studies were under the renown New York abstract expressionist painter, Ed Ross. His post graduate studies were under the photographer Ansel Adams and the designer Milton Glaser.

His work is found in private collections and churches around the world.

While living in New York City Mr. Bonnell focused on the painting techniques of Rembrandt via the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Frick Collection was also another very valuable source in his studies.

His gallery work is represented by the Hayden-Hays Gallery at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.

Testimony of Daniel Bonnell

As an 18 month old child (in 1956) I contracted an illness that Doctors felt would take my life. The illness was unknown and as a result I was placed into an isolation room within a hospital for eight days. This meant that I was not allowed to even see my parents.

To an 18 month old child your parents are your whole world, especially your Mother. The emotional crisis of abandonment of parents at that age is one that is too hard to process. Yet I was not abandoned. God was with me during those eight days. There was no visual miracle or image that I hold on to as if burned into my mind. There was no voice speaking from the other side down to me. I was simply held in his arms in my confusion of loss. How do I know this? I have no idea.

God’s grace held me then as he holds me now.

All my paintings, in an indirect way, lead back to those eight days left alone as a child.It is as if I had tasted being home in the broader heavenly sense of the word, while I was held by my heavenly Father. My life it seems is a journey to return home to Him once again. It is a pilgrimage back to those 8 days with Him. A longing to be held once more as He did then. All my paintings are but phone calls home to my Heavenly Father.

The main compass home for me is the cross. Our freedom, our salvation, our true self is only found in the cross and its purpose. This is why you will discover the cross in an indirect way in most of my paintings, though hidden. The models of denominations which man designed as the true church of Jesus Church fall short but the model of the cross never fails.

My paintings are rough, bold and often dark. They are anything but perfect academic representational images as found on the ceilings of cathedrals. They are paintings that help me work out my salvation. They are paintings that choose to be loud and brash created in a realm of half doubt yet willing to risk it all, to pursue an honest message as opposed to art that loses its message in its technique to please the eye or intellectual position. Art is about the senses first and the mind follows. It should always be the heart first and then the mind. It is beauty that sustains the test of time not how or why or for what purpose. Picasso’s Guinerica has sustained the test of time because of it tragic beauty. It hangs as a monument against war in the United Nations. Very few individuals can give you the history behind the painting.

The struggle of being human is also evident in my paintings. I struggle every day this side of eternity. Life is painful for me. I usually hate my dreams. I have daily anxiety though I consider myself a man of faith. I fail my Lord, myself and my family in many ways every day. Yet, my life seeks daily to be abandoned to the Christ and He keeps me close— just as when I was 18 months old in that isolation ward.