The Captains of Industry – Oil & Steam

by Jill Duff-Hoppes

Central Florida is home to many accomplished Jewish artists, from seasoned professionals to relative newcomers to the art scene. In this and future issues of J Life magazine, we’ll introduce you to several creative types in our community whose artwork can be seen in area museums, outdoor art festivals, and gallery exhibits.

Let’s begin with two talented artists who work on different ends of the creative spectrum. One is an oil painter whose atmospheric paintings merge memory with reality, while the other transports the viewer to the eccentric world of steampunk culture.

A Deeper Purpose

To oil painter Bonnie Shapiro, art should bring not only beauty – but also meaning – to people’s lives.

“A really beautiful piece intrigues your eye and gives you something to think about,” says the 68-year-old, who lives in Winter Springs with her husband, Alan. “That, to me, is the real purpose and importance of artwork.”

A South Florida native, Bonnie began taking private art lessons at age 11 and received her first commission at age 14 from a great aunt, for whom she painted a sailboat. Although Bonnie wanted to go to art school when it came time for college, her parents nixed that idea because they worried she wouldn’t be able to support herself as an artist.

So Bonnie, who was also interested in psychology and anthropology, opted to major in those subjects at the University of Florida. She then earned a master’s degree in vocational rehabilitation counseling and worked for about 35 years in   social services.

Yet, all the while, she continued to pursue her passion for art – especially drawing and painting. Bonnie took classes and workshops and became involved with an art group whose members critiqued one another’s work, an experience she found to be immensely valuable.

“I learned a huge amount – not just in technique – but how to talk about art and to focus on what I wanted to say with my paintings,” says Bonnie, who indeed found her artistic voice.

“My work is a painted journal of people and places encountered growing up in South Florida,” according to her artist’s statement. Bonnie’s paintings often feature images of the Everglades, carnivals, and small towns in The Sunshine State.

After moving to Central Florida about four years ago, Bonnie became a member of Artists Registry, the Sanford Seminole Art Association, and the Women Artists Group. Her work has been included in group shows at the Orlando Museum of Art, the Lake County Museum of Art, the Casselberry Art House, and at venues in Mount Dora, Leesburg, and Winter Garden.

Bonnie regularly participates in Crealdé School of Art’s open studio, where artists practice figurative drawing skills by sketching live models. And this spring, a solo exhibit of her art (including oil paintings and silverpoint drawings) was showcased at the University Club of Winter Park.

“My paintings exist in that middle ground between memory and the current scenery,” says Bonnie. “I’m more concerned with imparting an emotional response to a place rather than just depicting the scene. I like my art to strike a chord with people’s memories and feelings.”

Parisian Perspective

Over the past five years, Sion Dana has completely reinvented himself – transforming from a men’s          fashion salesman in France to a delightfully unique   artist in America.

A Heathrow resident, Sion specializes in whimsical steampunk-inspired creations. Although definitions of steampunk style vary, it is often represented in pop culture as a mash-up of science-fiction, Victorian-era fashion, and 19th-century steam-powered machinery.

Sion and his wife, Lea, relocated from Paris to Central Florida in 2012 to be closer to their daughter, Virginia Silberstein, who lives in Longwood. Sion was enjoying his retirement here until 2017, when a heart attack upended his life.

To lift her father’s spirits during his recovery, Virginia took him to a steampunk festival in Mount Dora. At the event, Sion became intrigued by a sculptor’s work and decided to try making steampunk art, himself.

“And from there, he just did not stop,” says Virginia, who estimates that Sion has crafted more than 1,000 pieces – most of which have sold to enthusiastic buyers. “What I love about my dad’s art is it just makes your imagination work when you look at a piece.”

“Art is what has really helped me heal,” says the 73-year-old Sion in his native French, with Virginia translating. “I feel like I’m more relaxed when I work on art, and I don’t have anxiety. It’s just gone.”

To gather the materials needed for his creations, the self-taught artist scours flea markets – especially during trips back to Paris – for scrap metals and trinkets. Sion hunts for widely recognizable steampunk imagery including gears, goggles, clock faces, and keys. Then, he adds those treasures to everything from animal statues to decorative boxes, with the end result being recycled 3-D creations.

Sion has exhibited his work at the Orlando Museum of Art, at steampunk shows in Mount Dora, and at the Longwood Arts and Crafts Festival. Several of his pieces are currently on display at Zenva, a kava bar and contemporary fine art gallery in Winter Park.

Virginia serves as her father’s spokeswoman and translator at art events, oftentimes dressed in steampunk attire. For Sion, neither money nor the limelight are what motivate him to create art.

“I’m looking to make people happy, and I’m doing art just for the fun of it,” says Sion, who feels a sense of pride when someone loves his work enough to display it in their home.

Virginia is grateful that Sion has found his artistic calling, which she credits for helping save his life after the heart attack.

“My dad found his place in this country,” she says, “and he’s like a brand-new person.”