Bonnie Belt

Working in clay has been Bonnie’s passion for over 25 years. She started her education at Cal Poly, Pomona, where she received her degree, and then continued to expand her knowledge of the ceramic medium. Bonnie studied with Ning Yeh, Master Oriental brush painter from Huntington Beach, California. There she learned the subtleties of brushwork along with internalizing the Oriental philosophy that continues to influence her sculptural work. To strengthen her ceramic knowledge, she attended Mohave Valley College, Arizona and Victor Valley College, California under the direction of her mentor, artist Gene Kleinsmith.

Bonnie’s thrown forms have evolved since relocating to Northern California, incorporating her Southwest desert background with her current lush forest surroundings. She has discovered that the landscape of this area, especially the trees, express the enduring, fragile existence of nature which she strives to communicate in her work and embrace into her life.

Bonnie’s current work is of white stoneware, using the vessel form as the foundation for sculptural impressions of the North Coast. The pieces are carved, with sculptural attachments and fired. The forms are then glazed with a matt glaze and fired a second time. Additionally, the pieces are then smoke-fired in sawdust, redwood needles and other local organic materials to create unique flame patterns on the piece.