Bonnie Van Hall was born in 1962 in Grand Haven, Michigan. While living in Hawaii in 1987, she learned basic
beading techniques and began to make jewelry. After several years of travel, Bonnie settled in Prescott, Arizona, where she earned
a BA degree in Transpersonal Psychology. In addition to her inquiries into the human mind and spirit, she has long been involved in
investigating other topics such as quantum physics, sacred geometry, fractal mathematics, and cosmology.
After ten years of beading, Bonnie began to pursue a long-held interest in creating larger pieces. Intrigued with the possibilities
inherent in beading larger surface areas, she designed and executed several tapestries on a large hand-made beading loom. While these
tapestries allowed for more versatility in pattern design because of their larger size, she found that they lacked a flexibility in
form, as they were limited to the size and shape of the loom itself.
In pulling together aspects from both
types of work, she has conceived a line of clothing that incorporates a "fabric", similar to a glass chain mail, made entirely
of beads and thread. This, she finds, allows her the versatility necessary to incorporate larger and more intricate patterns, while
rendering a finished piece that is no longer restricted to the rectangular shape imposed by the loom.
In future
works, Bonnie plans to expand upon the theme of three dimensions through the use of various bead-layering techniques, and the use
of color and geometric form to create an illusion of greater depth. Her goals also include an exploration of the spiritual dimension
of form, and its relationship to the ideas expressed in Platonic philosophy, anthroposophy, and Jungian psychology.
