Bonnie Marris

While a student at Michigan State University, Bonnie Marris illustrated several books, including a mammalogy text by a leading expert in the field. The book attracted the attention of noted zoologist George Schaller, who invited Marris to prepare the art for posters to support his worldwide rare-animal relief programs.

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Beyond academic training and emotional involvement, there lies that element for which there is no substitute: experience. Marris makes several field trips each year to study the animals that are the subjects of her paintings. During 1980, she lived in the Alaskan wilderness for six months. This close proximity with the animals gives her the confidence to paint them with total realism in their natural surroundings. Marris’s work is highly sought after and can be found in many major collections throughout the country.

She and her husband, Woody, live on a farm in Ada, Michigan, with two dogs and three horses.

Bonnie Marris is represented by Trailside Galleries, Jackson, Wyoming, and Scottsdale, Arizona. Giclée reproductions of her work are available through Greenwich Workshop dealers.