There are really two aspects to Bonitinho Designs.....jewelry and photography. It seems like an odd combination to most people, but anyone who knows a person divided by two passions can begin to understand the driving force behind this company.
Let's begin with an explanation of photography...it all began for Tiffany on a farm in northwest Ohio....(isn't that how all great stories begin?) The future artist loved taking photographs with her little point and shoot camera. In eighth grade Tiffany joined her local 4-H chapter and committed to a project in Single Lens Reflex cameras. That summer she devoted her time to learning about her father's old manual camera and all of the magic that it could create for her.
Tiffany also began designing jewelry at a very early age. It began as an obsession with the round stickers that were used in building her father's grain bins. Eventually it matured into the springs from her mother's clothespins and then into wire and beads. Luckily the young designer had supportive parents who believed in her and her art.
Tiffany went on to pursue photography at Goshen College in Goshen, IN. Although photography kept her interest as she studied under some inspiring instructors and photographer John Hawkins, she didn't forget about her passion for jewelry. Her affinity for jewelry design reached a new level when she signed up for a jewelry making class and was introduced to soldered and cast silver.
Bonitinho Designs finally came into play about five years ago when Tiffany was poor, just married, and jobless in Illinois. One day her husband came home with a small kiln that was being thrown out at a local school. All it took was one class at the local community center for Tiffany to become hooked on Precious Metal Clay - the silver used on most of her designs today. Eventually Tiffany also began teaching photography at the McLean County Arts Center and eventually full time at Washington Community High School in Washington, IL.
Today owner and designer Tiffany lives in West Peoria, IL where she creates handmade jewelry and photographs out of her home while she pursues her MFA in photography from the Academy of Art University.