Artist and fashion designer, Bonni Miller, of Montauk and Manhattan, has lived all over the world.
After attending art schools as a young woman, Bonni came east to Manhattan and used her talents as an artist and fashion designer to lead a long career in both, owning her own boutique showcasing her fashions on Fifth Avenue for several years.
Some of her fondest memories include living on lobster boats during the 1970's. At the time, she never imagined that this experience would lead to a passion for sketching boats.
"I was out in Montauk with my girlfriend, and we found ourselves broke and stranded on the docks," she recalled. "But we loved Montauk so much, we decided to temporarily live in our cars." Luckily, they met a local lobsterman who let them spend the summer on his boat, which was moored off Tuma's Dock.
"This was my first introduction to boat living, and despite the fishy smell of lobsters, it was charming," said Miller. "We hung flower pots from the top of the boat, and decorated it with lace curtains. We lived there for about ten days and really enjoyed the dock life, with bands playing and people partying all around."
Bonni started photographing all this activity, including the colorful boats around her, until one day her camera broke.
"I wanted to remember our summer, so I started sketching the steel ship next to us, called the "Woebegone," said Miller. "I gave it as a gift to the owner, and then other boat owners and captains started asking me to sketch their boats, and I began getting paid for my artwork."
"The whole time, I had my sewing machine on board, and I made hand-painted dresses and hats, which I sold at different ports, including stores in Southport, N.C.," she said.
Bonni also enjoys equestrian fashions and sketching the horse set at different Hamptons horse-related events. She first started wandering the grounds of the Hampton Classic International Horse Show during the 1980s, and she started sketching all the vibrant activities there.
