During the month of May, the Southwest Harbor Public Library will exhibit the plein air, painted outdoors, oil paintings of Beverly Bono.

From a very young age, Beverly’s been interested in arts and crafts. Her artistic Aunt encouraged her by enrolling her in a watercolor class when she was 8. She painted during high school, but decided to pursue a medical technology degree in college. When she married and moved to the Florida Keys, her artistic juices began to flow again. She painted full time for about a year, and won 2nd place in the Purple Isle Art Guild outdoor show.

After 20 years in the Florida Keys, Beverly and her husband moved to Maine to open their own business, the Christmas Spirit Shop of Bar Harbor, stocked with only American made items. For the past 30 years, Beverly has been designing ornaments for her artists to render in the medium of choice. One of the artists in the shop invited her to go plein air painting with her and Beverly was hooked! Now retired, she can go painting every day – nothing thing can compare to painting from life!

As a painter, she is largely self-taught, learning from books and following other artists online. Her work has won accolades in the Purple Isle Art Guild outdoor show and in the Quick Draw event at the Cape Ann Plein Air Festival in Massachusetts.

Find out more about Beverly Bono on Instagram.com/bev3445.

Call the Library to make an appointment to view the show, (207) 244-7065.

Charlotte Rhoades