Bunny Portia, Artist

Hello! This is Jackson and welcome to the 25th interview for my blog, 3 Art Questions With Jackson. This time I am excited to interview multi-talented artist Bunny Portia. I have one of her t-shirts, I really like her art, and Bunny is in WARM. My grandma was in WARM so that is a fun connection. I hope you like the interview! Thank you for reading!


Jackson: How did you know you wanted to be an artist? Did something specific happen?


Bunny: Artist was actually my third choice of careers. Number one was "Cowgirl". Specifically, I wanted to be Annie Oakley, because she got to ride horses ALL DAY. By the time I was 10 it was clear that my second career choice, "Ballerina", was not going to happen either (wrong body type at the time). Although I was interested in art as a kid, my third career choice, "Artist", seemed impossible growing up in Des Moines in the 50s. The only artists I was familiar with were male and none of them lived in Iowa. So I took a typing class just in case my top three choices didn't work out. 

In high school I didn't listen to anyone over the age of 20 but I listened to my art teacher Mrs. Bryant because I wanted to BE her.  She had a newly minted MFA from Drake. She was beautiful and she had that glassy-eyed look that that suggested she had just toked up in the teachers' lounge because it was the 60s and anything was possible. She had it all figured out and seemed to be having more fun than anyone. Yes, I mostly wanted to be her. So I took Mrs. Bryant's advice and went to Drake University to earn a BFA in Graphic Design.

After graduation I worked in advertising for 40 years. It paid the bills and painting was my hobby. I continued to take drawing and painting classes for years but never actually called myself an Artist, even though I was painting regularly.

That changed in 2010 after an event at the Walker Art Center

when a close friend of mine introduced me as "this is my friend. She's an Artist."

It was a memorable moment for me when I realized that she 
saw me as an Artist who had a day job. I saw myself as an Art Director who also painted. After that introduction I finally had the courage to start calling myself an Artist. She gave me the permission that I couldn't give myself.

So becoming an artist was a two-step process for me. First, my (high) high school art teacher convinced me I could BE an artist, then 40 years later my best friend unknowingly convinced me I could CALL myself an artist.



Jackson: My grandmother Linda McNary was in WARM with you. Did being in WARM help or change your art career?


Bunny: I was a late-comer to WARM after spending 40 years working in advertising and only painting at night when I could. When I did finally join the women in WARM definitely helped me on my path. I received lots of support from the group for painting my vision, no matter what it was. The first Bunny Portia show was in Hudson, WI. Many in the group had experienced ageism and "disappearing", the themes that my first paintings address.

Jackson: If you could meet any artist living or dead, who would it be and why?

Bunny: This is a tough question for me. I usually like difficult (eccentric) people because they're the most interesting people and it's their singleness of vision that makes them so interesting. So here's my short list of "Art Heroes" even though I'm not sure I'd really like to meet them. Maybe I'd prefer to continue imagining them as fully formed, perfect human beings who also profoundly changed the art world. 

First, Georgia O'Keefe comes to mind because we share a birthday and she was a maverick. I've read so much about her, I'm not sure what else I want to know. Maybe I'd just like to tell her thanks for being a role model for me, even though she didn't want to be that. Her dedication to art has always inspired me.


I've been fascinated by Andy Warhol since I became aware of the soup cans in high school or college. Was he naturally that fun, eccentric and sometimes mean, or did he dial it up for the media and for fame? Is that a question you can ask a famous artist?

I'd like to meet Edgar Degas just so I could yell at him, "Hey Edgar, stop being such a dick! It wouldn't kill you to be a little nice to people, especially women." I love every aspect of his work (the horses, the ballerinas) but he was reputed to be a misogynist and socially mean to everyone but Mary Cassatt. Maybe if I scolded him in my best Mom voice he'd listen and have a better life. Just kidding, I'd never do that, I'm way too nice. Besides he might yell back. 

Cecelia Beau was a wonderful portrait painter and really had to fight to get educated and recognized. I admire her talent and spunk. If I got to meet Cecelia, first I'd ask her if she knew Degas and was he as big a jerk as he's made out to be. Then we'd tackle her questionable relationships. Maybe we'd even talk about art. 

Perhaps my #1 choice should be John Singer Sargent. I'd like to watch him paint highlights on satin. They always look like nothing up close but are magical six feet back. And those gorgeous hands he painted. I'm guessing he was pretty charming because how else would he have lived off his friends and clients for much of his life? I know he painted great portraits for them, but he stayed for MONTHS with these families. It would take a lot of charm to work that gig as long as he did. I'm sure we'd have a very genteel conversation and I'd probably end up buying him a fancy lunch and then he'd casually ask me if I could put him up for a couple months so he could so he could look for commissions. 

www.bunnyportia.com