Born and raised in Rockledge, Florida, a small town on the intercoastal waterway of Cocoa Beach in 1986, Jay “Jbon” Bonadio Jr. is creator of his own signature “Neo-Mosaic” style of artwork.
Personal History
Bonadio was always hands-on in the way he learned and how he expressed his creativity, but it wouldn’t be until he was 23 that he truly knew he would be an artist. He’d graduated from Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida not with an art degree, but a business and communications degree, but the historic architecture and artistic lifestyle of the people who lived in St. Augustine had profoundly moved Bonadio. He always sketched ideas and one day he decided to put his designs on t-shirts and instantly fell in love with the science and process of screen printing. From his dorm room, Bonadio started his first clothing brand and within two years of graduating, he was selling his clothes in over 300+ stores!
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The artist and businessman knew this was just the beginning of what he would do for the rest of my life, and then started to create large-format pop culture art by screen printing on canvas, canvases that are taking the art world by storm thanks to his innovative Neo-Mosaic signature style that incorporates shattered glass to the artwork.
Bonadio’s artistic process starts early in the morning. He wakes up ready to create with a clear mind and builds all his frames and stretches all his canvases by hand. This is in large part because of the weight of his Neo-Mosaic glass work and heavy textures. The frames need to be built firm and with a hard board front. Once his design is stretched to the frame, he starts embellishing the art with shattered glass, 3D elements, jewelry, feathers, and more textures. Bonadio feels that the shadows, sharpness, and unique embellishments are what brings viewers into the artwork. He notes that the 3D effect often makes people want to reach out and touch his art.
The inspiration for Bonadio’s Neo-Mosaic art, hand-sculpted mixed media installations, and solid bronze sculptures chiefly comes from nature. When he’s not creating stunning works of art, he can be found connecting with nature through bonsai, his favorite hobby. He was originally introduced to the art of bonsai as a form of meditation to help slow down his thinking and appreciate life. As he grows and evolves as a person the more his artwork grows and evolves to provoke intense emotion and conversations between viewers and collectors.
The world is taking notice of Jbon’s mesmerizing blend of shattered glass art and his list of accomplishments is growing. He has designed and created art for multiple bars and clubs in the central Florida area, has sold artto celebrities, created custom works of art for high-end corporate clients such as Hard Rock Hotel and casinos, with artworks in over a dozen Hard Rock locations worldwide. One of his crowning achievements is a breathtaking 40-foot mural that dominates the lobby of the Hard Rock Baku in Azerbaijan.
To inquire about collecting the artwork of Jay “Jbon” Bonadio Jr., attend one of Park West’s online auction weekends or contact a sales associate at either sales@parkwestgallery.com or (866) 995-0904 ext. 4.
