The name Bonanola is derived from a latin legal term, nulla bona, which is “no goods”. It is used to describe when bailiffs are unable to seize items from a person.
As the artist, KJ Chong, explores the realms of natural and urban environments and mental health through her art, she chose this name to emphasize that life is made up of things beyond just material objects, but that which is not tangible.
Process
For representational watercolour painting, KJ will base this off of a reference photo she has taken, and then create a beginning pencil sketch. She will then choose a select few colours to work with primarily in her painting, usually a red, yellow and blue. Working quickly, she will then build multiple layers, but frequently lets the paintings rest between sessions to come back to them with a fresh perspective between days. She tends to work immediately in the morning to take advantage of the creative rest of sleep.
About KJ Chong
As a self-taught painter based in Toronto, she uses watercolour to explore the relationship between nature and our environment to our well-being. She is influenced by impressionism and Japanese anime. By showcasing everyday scenes, she uses saturated colours to highlight the daily pleasures that can be a source of joy to make life worth living. Her work is loose and playful.
KJ Chong grew up in Brampton and Mississauga, an hour outside of Toronto. When she was young, she enjoyed sketching her favourite characters from video games and Japanese anime. As a teenager, she primarily used digital mediums to illustrate in Photoshop. Her work then later branched into more design layouts for newspapers, magazines and vector-based minimalist designs on advertisements.
She later turned to traditional mediums, experimenting between watercolour and acrylic painting which soon became therapeutic to her in everyday life. She found that watercolour was an intriguing medium given the challenge with navigating water’s inherent unpredictability. Working with paints that dry quickly requires decisive movement and planning, but at the same time letting go of control.
Exhibitions
- You Do You, Leslie Grove Gallery, Juried group exhibition – 2024
- SURFACE, OCAD University, Online exhibition – 2023
- Queen West Art Crawl, Toronto, Ontario, Canada – 2023
Artistic Education – Courses taken
- Toronto School of Art – Perspective Drawing
- Art Gallery of Ontario – Watercolour Explorations: Figure
- OCAD University – Drawing Skills Studio 2
- OCAD University – Watercolour Painting Studio