ABOUT SONIA
I’m self-taught. I didn’t go to Art School. Or even study painting at my West Auckland high school. But I would choose art history books for my maths class prize. And I always wanted to paint. Even back then. When I turned 40 I decided to listen.
Now I’m in my 50s (it’s delicious). I sell my work in galleries (thank you). People trust me with commissions (thank you). I’ve opened That Little Art Studio, my working studio and casual gallery (it’s open year-round - come visit). My work is held in private collections throughout NZ and in many countries including Australia, the USA, UK, Japan, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. My hope is that you get as much pleasure from your painting as I received creating it.
I usually paint a series of large and small paintings together and use the series to explore new ways of painting - realistic, abstract, impressionist or purely intuitive. It’s a wonderful way to play and discover and stop boredom setting in. Shapes within a piece often move between abstract and realistic – symbolic in part of our inner and outer worlds, the delicate balance and interconnection of all.
Inspiration is found in the natural world - landscapes, the sea, flowers, walks in the NZ bush, native birds…the shape of trees in the early morning light or rain gently falling on the coast making their way into paintings, in their own way. Time in nature is as much a part of the process as picking up the brush itself.
Do you live in Hawke’s Bay or are you planning to visit? Come say hello - I’d love to meet you!
