Sonia studied Fine Art at Staffordshire University in the 1980’s, and was then invited to join the post-graduate Diploma in Fine Art Printmaking at Brighton College of Art, gaining the highest grade of Honours.
After leaving art college, she continued producing her own work, and taught art in schools in East Sussex, Oxfordshire (Head of Art) and Dorset.
Sketchbooks and drawings are an integral part of Sonia’s work, collecting memories and observations from the landscape, coast and objects around her home.
Something extraordinary happens when these everyday subjects evolve into a still life on the canvas. Vessels, often with strong colour combinations, containing flowers and plants, are composed to deliberately draw the viewer in to look closely at them. The shapes and colours interact with the background textures displaying the sheer joy and exuberance of using paint that is a hallmark of her work.
Working in an intuitive way, Sonia applies the acrylic paint in layers, using any tools to hand, sanding and scratching back to reveal previous colours and marks. The paintings have a unique, rich, surface quality, and bold use of colour.