Raised by frugal Depression Era parents, Mrs. Bonjour remembers that she enjoyed drawing as a child, but her parents did not encourage any “frivolity” and did not see the need or artistic qualities in their daughter.

As a young mother herself, Mrs. Bonjour took a subtle approach to art with her children. She speaks of taking them to art galleries and encouraging their own imaginations.

Today, that approach has paid off. Her oldest daughter, Jane, and her son Mark, both earned fine art degrees and teach in Illinois. Her youngest daughter, Jill, is an interior designer in Orlando.

“It wasn’t until a neighbor wanted to start giving art lessons and asked me to take with her that I recognized what was in me but was never pursued,” said Mrs. Bonjour.

Starting out she tried her hand at acrylics but found that she painted too slowly and the paint would dry before she was finished with a piece. She then turned to oil paints and became “bored” with that medium. It was then that she took up pastels because she loved the texture these gave her artwork. She also loved the vivid colors pastels could offer.

Since her first art class, Mrs. Bonjour has continued her training, working with local instructors Marilyn Simpson and most recently Fuller Brown.

“You never stop growing, learning from other people,” she said. “It motivates me. It’s fun to be with other people.”

Maybe it is the flower-petal finish pastels give her art, perhaps it is the vibrant hues she can create, but floral remains her favorite subject. Living in Florida, she said, gives her plenty of varieties to pick.

“I first tried anything and everything,” she said. “I just kept going back to flowers. There is such joy in flowers.”

Her floral collections include purple orchids, bright red banana plants, creamy ivory magnolias and fiery poppies. “There are so many things in my mind,” she said. “I don’t know what to do next.”

One thing that is next for Mrs. Bonjour is a showing of her artwork this month at the Paul Brent Gallery in Destin’s Market City on Highway 98. As a member of FARR Side Art Group, many of her paintings can also be seen in various businesses in Destin and Fort Walton Beach.