A Morning With . . . Artist Brenda Huckins Bonter and the Thursday Painters

Brenda Huckins Bonter

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​Down at one end of the table, nine-year-old Caden considered what color to paint the racetrack his blue and green cars were zooming along. Beside him, his mother Heidi worked with studied concentration on the orange throat of a lily. Across from Heidi, Maureen dabbed violet and lemon yellow onto leaves embossed on a poster-sized sheet of rice paper. As these three and five other artists worked, Brenda Huckins Bonter scurried around the table, offering suggestions and tips on technique.

Brenda gives Caden pointers

Heidi works on her flower painting

Maureen paints on embossed rice paper

Maureen, Eileen and Mary

The group, gathered in a back room at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Newaygo, meets every other Thursday to paint, offer encouragement and benefit from Brenda's experience as artist and educator: thirty-three years teaching art at Grant High School, as well as classes in acrylic painting, watercolor, silk screen printing, clay, pastels, and mosaic for a wide range of ages and levels of ability.

"I do love to create art in a variety of media, but my real passion is for teaching," said Brenda. "To be able to share the joy of creating, see progress in skill, and see students discover a new part of themselves is so exciting!"

Progress, discovery and joy were evident as the painters worked on their projects. Eileen, focused on shading the petals of a yellow lily, said painting is a new passion—and a new challenge—for her. "It's a leap. I had never painted or drawn before." But, she added, it's something like the yoga that she, Brenda and I practice along with a dozen or so other women in our weekly class at Woodland Yoga. With repetition and a playful attitude, both painting and yoga become easier and more fun.  

For Eileen, painting is a new challenge

Marcia defies a long-ago comment about her artistic ability

Like Eileen, Marcia—a self-described dabbler in crafts such as quilting, basketry, knitting and crochet—also took up painting only recently and had to overcome a lifelong belief that it was beyond her abilities. "In second grade, I walked into the classroom from recess and saw the teacher holding up a drawing and saying to another teacher, 'This child has no talent.' It was my drawing."

Marcia's lily painting takes shape

​You'll hear no such comments in Brenda's class. Though she doesn't hesitate to offer advice, it's all done in a positive way, aimed at helping class members explore new methods and improve their skills.

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MaKenzie and her water color study

​On the Thursday I visited, Brenda showed 11-year-old MaKenzie (daughter of Heidi and sister of Caden) how to use a variety of watercolor techniques, including resist and sgraffito. The class usually works in watercolors, but Brenda introduces other media when the occasion calls for it.

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"One day the clouds were beautiful, so we did a cloud study in pastels," she said.

Maureen, Mary and Brenda discuss Mary's project

​Two class members, Mary and Maureen, are also art teachers and offer occasional tips to classmates as well.

Torn paper halos on Maureen's piece symbolize angels in her life

As Eileen labored over her lily painting, Maureen reminded her, "Every once in a while, look at it from far away to get a better sense of the values." Maureen, who also sells art supplies, uses the class to try out new materials like the embossed rice paper she was working with. When she had finished painting on it, she added torn paper "halos," symbolizing "all the angels in my life." Then she started a new piece, painting around bright smears she had made by smashing petunia flowers and leaves.

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Maureen experiments with crushed flowers

Deb developed a new, left-handed technique after her stroke

Though Brenda doesn't play favorites, she couldn't help bragging on the work of one class member, Deb, whose flower painting was particularly vivid and free-flowing. Deb had painted years ago, before a stroke disabled her right arm—and her painting hand. Recently, she taught herself to draw and paint left-handed in a completely different style.

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​"I used to be really uptight, and I'm not anymore," said Deb. "I just have fun, and I'm happier with the way I paint."

Deb would rather show her painting than her face!

The painting class began about three years ago as an activity for participants in a counseling group at Vera's House, a community health and wellness center that is an outreach ministry of St. Mark's. Vera's House continues to provide supplies for the drop-in class, which is free and open to anyone.

"We've had as few as two or three and as many as twelve," said Brenda, who donates her teaching time. In fair weather, the class meets outdoors in the church's garden, and a trip to Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids is planned for some time over the summer.

My visit to the class got me thinking about possibilities and how we never know what we're capable of until we challenge ourselves and try new things. Will I take up painting? Probably not now—I'm juggling enough projects at the moment. But I'll think of  Brenda and the Thursday painters whenever I undertake something new or push into new territory in an ongoing project.

​What new territory have you explored recently? What would you like to try?

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