Andrea Bonfils is an American mixed-media artist based in Darien, Connecticut, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Bonfils uses a wide range of materials including, found objects, photography, and encaustic wax to create paintings and sculptures that investigate the convergence of nature and humanity. Her works have been exhibited in the Newport Art Museum, Bruce Museum, Yellowstone Art Museum, and the permanent collection of the Museum of Encaustic Art. In addition, she has been featured in a variety of private and corporate collections globally including Tiffany & Co., Meyers Jabara Hotels, Fields Development Corporation USA, 1 Hotel, and Merx Aviation. Andrea has completed over 80 commissions and presented in numerous solo and group shows.
In 1985 Andrea received her Masters's degree in clinical social work. After a long career in administration, Bonfils pivoted into a career in Fine Art 20 years ago. Driven by her curiosity of the community and humanity coupled with her love of nature Bonfils’ art proves to be the nexus of all these experiences. In the end, her work is a symbiosis of life itself.
Much like her love for outdoor adventure, Andrea is eager to explore a variety of materials and tools including a blow torch, irons, encaustics, photography, resin and found objects. Bonfils’ techniques give way to a vision that is intense, ethereal, contemplative, and at times fantastical. Earthy reverence is consistently present in her work as exemplified by her use of beeswax or reclaimed materials or seen in her dramatic photographs of wild animals or Submerged Gardens.
Andrea encourages her viewers to touch and engage with her highly textured encaustics. The tactile relationship and variable perspectives associated with these materials continually evolve. When establishing the connection between humanity and nature in her work, Bonfils draws upon her background in community organization and talk therapy where she developed an appreciation for the human experience. She is always seeking out new ways to unite, explore, and ultimately dig deeper into the meaning and conditions of life.
