This is the first time her art has been showcased in Missouris premier lifestyle magazine.
It was very exciting when I found out my art had been selected, Bodenheimer said. To have my work shown in Missouri Life is a thrill and an honor.
The vividly colorful image is part of Bodenheimers digital art exhibit showcasing Missouri fish, amphibians, insects and botanical life on display at the Margaret Harwell Art Museum in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.
Ive always liked natural history, said Bodenheimer, who has experience drawing scientific illustrations which rely on accurate observations to portray a subject. This is a medium that allows me to have more creative license and use the animals forms in an imaginative and wondrous way.
Louise Bodenheimer
To create each image, she used a combination of computer programs and hand-drawn sketches. The incorporation of her sketches and digital mediums creates images that draw people into the art, she said.
Computer art can be restricted sometimes because even when youre using a stylus, you are at the mercy of the tool and application, she said. But adding my scanned sketches inserts a human element back into the art. I think thats what attracts people to the image in the magazine and at my shows.
Her swirls and doodles not only catch the human eye but also allow her to honor the intricate patterns and colors of Missouris wildlife, said Bodenheimer.
I really appreciate their beauty, she said, from scales and wings, to their amazing colors and natural forms.
Digital Computer Art by Louise Bodenheimer is on display at the Margaret Harwell Art Museum March 4-29, and admission is free. The museum is open noon-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 1-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. For more information, call (573) 686-8005 or visit MHAM.org.