| THRESHOLD OF SUMMER, OIL, 18 x 20. |
By Bonnie Gangelhoff
BORN: Gilroy, CA.
ART EDUCATION: Bachelor of fine arts from the Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA.
STYLE: Impressionism.
FIRST ART SALE: “Two small watercolor still lifes. A family friend bought them when I was in junior high.”
SECOND-CHOICE CAREER: Botanist or something with language.
OTHER PASSIONS: “I like to camp and hike with my fiancée.”
MANTRA OR MOTTO: “What do I want to say? What is the light doing?”
QUIRKIEST TRAIT: “I’m forgetful when it comes to weather conditions. Like being stuck in the desert in extreme heat, over 100 degrees, and not being prepared for it.”
BIGGEST FEAR: Being physically unable to paint.
FAVORITE STUDIO MUSIC: Edith Piaf, Samuel Barber, Yann Tiersen, and Buckethead.
BEST ADVICE RECEIVED: “Be guided by your principles, and don’t work scared.”
PET PEEVE: “I can’t walk down a trail or through a park without picking up a bag’s worth of garbage that other people left behind.”
FAVORITE ARTWORK BY ANOTHER ARTIST: Monet’s Haystack series.
PRICE RANGE: $1,000 to $8,000.
NEXT BIG GOAL: “I’m working on two commissions and trying to bring to fruition a series on historic adobes. And I’m painting some of the last open spaces near my house in San Gabriel.”
CREATIVE SPARK: Reading, music, and being outdoors.
GALLERIES: Morris & Whiteside Galleries, Hilton Head, SC; www.ericmerrell.com.
Featured in our annual “21 Under 31” article in September 2008