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Bonnie Meltzer

Fine art and crochet

By Jean Leinhauser

Bonnie Meltzer has an unusual combination of talents. She is a crocheter who claims to have been born with a hook in her hand, an acclaimed artist, an educator and a Web site designer. All of these talents and interests are combined in the wonderfully fanciful works of arts for which she is noted.

Combining crochet with computers
Can you combine crochet with used computer parts? Bonnie can! And the result is amazing pieces featured in gallery shows around the country. Bonnie uses a Macintosh computer to design and construct mixed media pieces made from crocheted wire, recycled computer parts, beads, found objects, painted surfaces and digital photography. This unusual combination lets her create pieces with rich surfaces and graphic messages. Her whimsical and satirical sense of humor shines through in every piece.

 

Some favorite pieces 
One of Bonnie’s favorite pieces is "Allegiance" which is a life-size painted wood figure of a woman off on a shopping spree. The wonderful figure is accented with crocheted wire with beads as well as found objects. The flag handbag asserts her allegiance to her country.

"Passing On the Mantel" is homage to Bonnie's mentors, her mother, teacher and grandmother. The figure, about 20" tall, is composed of digital photographs transferred to metal and wears an elaborate mantel of wire crochet.

Creative designs in jewelry
In addition to her exhibition pieces, Bonnie carries her fondness for computer parts over into a sensational line of one-of-a-kind jewelry. These pieces include pins and clips with delightfully impudent faces. They are cut from circuit boards and embellished with beads, computer discards and other recycled objects. Wearing one of these fun pieces will brighten anyone's day.

One of her elaborate necklaces is crocheted from wire accented with beads and resistors, with a pendant made from a computer hard disc. She makes a wide selection of bolas, which she says look great with a turtleneck sweater, for both men and women. These colorful pieces use computer parts, cable connectors, lamps from computer consoles and even switchboard lights.

A storyteller and humorist
Bonnie likes to think of herself not only as an artist, but also as a storyteller and a humorist. Indeed, her unique pieces do tell us a story about a fellow crocheter who has used her love of the craft to break new ground in the art world.

To learn more about Bonnie and to view more of her work, go to www.bonniemeltzer.com.