In Focus: Portraits Memorialize Beautiful Lives of Domestic Violence Victims

As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. For artist Bonnie Lee, her portraits look to tell a story not of victims, but of a person’s life.

With October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, organizations and individuals are working to bring awareness to the issue, whether it’s on a local or global level. On Friday, Lee and other artists showcased works from “The Beautiful Life Portraits,” a non-profit that goes past the horrors of domestic abuse and violence and instead focuses on the lives of the victims.

Bonnie Lee, the founder of the project in 2015 and one of its artists, started the movement after thinking of her friend, Tina Martin, and her cousin, Dawn Sandquist-Anderson. Both women lost their lives to domestic violence. Instead of focusing on their deaths, Lee decided to dedicate portraits to the lives these women, and soon many others, led.

The painting process goes past simply putting brush to canvas. Before starting, Lee chooses to learn about the subjects. By doing so, the portraits provide a glance into these beautiful lives.

“The Beautiful Life Portraits” is now a non-profit. People from around the United States, and even in Ireland, have contacted the non-profit to share the stories of their loved ones.

More information on the project can be found on their Facebook page.

If you or anyone you know is facing domestic violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788.