Sonya Ziegler
Oil paintings
209.304.6469
33 Lower Dorray Rd.
Facebook: Sonya Ziegler
Instagram: Sonya Ziegler
sonyaziegler.com
209.304.6469
33 Lower Dorray Rd.
Facebook: Sonya Ziegler
Instagram: Sonya Ziegler
sonyaziegler.com
Sawtooth Mountains ,
Oil painting
Oil painting
Tempranillo
Oil painting
Oil painting
ARTIST STATEMENT
I have always been fascinated with the mysteries of nature; her work flowing, waxing and waning as the seasons change— as the earth evolves, responding and adapting to trial and tribulations. I see myself in a mirror image, and as I get older my work molding to more informed and tempered feelings, intellect, passions and introspection. I'm most influenced by Tonalism and Contemporary Traditionalism. I love the abstract poetry of paint and rendered light-- there is a certain romance and emotion to this kind of painting that I find very intriguing. I am careful to observe that every mark I make upon the canvas, even if later partially painted over or deleted, will influence the final piece-- a silent record of the construction of a painting and it's creative process--- the rich surface influencing the emotion of the finished work.
Painting is, for me, simply the best way to express my visions, emotions, thoughts, and desires--- hopefully instilling in the viewer a sense of the largeness and fragility of life, the wondrous mysteries of nature, and the bittersweet beauty of our remembered pasts and the ever changing world around us. I tend to work in series, exploring and extracting what I need and then moving on. I am constantly looking for ways to grow, never satisfied with staying moored to the shore. I am influenced by nature, my intellect, and the strong emotional memories of my past; as thoughts are remembered, I endeavor to make sense of life and the world around me, seeking to put the illogical into a cohesive framework. This is my mark-making, where I am free to create harmonious orderliness out of chaos that I find so elusive in life—compelling me to look deeper and to make connections with paths crossed long ago.
BIOGRAPHY
As a child, I spent many solitary hours drawing from my imagination or any object that caught my eye. I sold my first drawing when I was 12 years old, and soon started to receive requests for commissioned work. I started with watercolor, eventually learning how to paint with oils in my teenage years. I received a small oil painting set for my 14th birthday, and immediately fell in love with the thick opacity of the paint and subtle mixing possibilities that only this medium can offer. I started to paint prolifically at this point and continued to study art in high school, receiving many awards and winning an art scholarship to San Jose State University.
In college, I was fortunate to study with several noted Bay Area artists, among them the late Eileen Gilbert-Hill, who was the Art Director at Mission College in Santa Clara, California in the 1980's. She was extremely involved with the Bay Area Figurists; as a result I received a fantastic education from her wealth of knowledge and personal connections. She was a phenomenal teacher who opened my eyes to alternative techniques and mediums, and other artists who thought outside the box. She also was instrumental in my interest in color theory and composition. Eileen’s mentoring has affected me profoundly, and to this day I continue to employ her techniques for the individual journey and fostering of the creative process.
In addition to painting, I am also an avid photographer. I built my own darkroom when I was 15 years old, and was experimenting with printing on different types of paper and developing unorthodox techniques. Today, I am never without at least one of my three cameras. My eyes see color, shape and pattern wherever I go, and I am obsessed with documenting the world as I see and experience it. A loner by nature, I am keenly observant and often reflective. The beauty of nature inspires me, as well as human condition that relates specifically to loneliness, heartache, desire, love, solitude and memory. I love the photographic process, especially the editing process, where I am free to inject my thoughts and feelings into the work.
I strive to produce artwork with an emphasis on texture, layers, composition, line, form, and color. I am infinitely interested in how these elements relate to each other on a flat surface within the confines of a canvas, or my camera lens. I have an insatiable desire to learn and be creative, always keeping my mind open to new possibilities, techniques, and artistic concepts.
I currently reside in the Sierra foothills in California.
I have always been fascinated with the mysteries of nature; her work flowing, waxing and waning as the seasons change— as the earth evolves, responding and adapting to trial and tribulations. I see myself in a mirror image, and as I get older my work molding to more informed and tempered feelings, intellect, passions and introspection. I'm most influenced by Tonalism and Contemporary Traditionalism. I love the abstract poetry of paint and rendered light-- there is a certain romance and emotion to this kind of painting that I find very intriguing. I am careful to observe that every mark I make upon the canvas, even if later partially painted over or deleted, will influence the final piece-- a silent record of the construction of a painting and it's creative process--- the rich surface influencing the emotion of the finished work.
Painting is, for me, simply the best way to express my visions, emotions, thoughts, and desires--- hopefully instilling in the viewer a sense of the largeness and fragility of life, the wondrous mysteries of nature, and the bittersweet beauty of our remembered pasts and the ever changing world around us. I tend to work in series, exploring and extracting what I need and then moving on. I am constantly looking for ways to grow, never satisfied with staying moored to the shore. I am influenced by nature, my intellect, and the strong emotional memories of my past; as thoughts are remembered, I endeavor to make sense of life and the world around me, seeking to put the illogical into a cohesive framework. This is my mark-making, where I am free to create harmonious orderliness out of chaos that I find so elusive in life—compelling me to look deeper and to make connections with paths crossed long ago.
BIOGRAPHY
As a child, I spent many solitary hours drawing from my imagination or any object that caught my eye. I sold my first drawing when I was 12 years old, and soon started to receive requests for commissioned work. I started with watercolor, eventually learning how to paint with oils in my teenage years. I received a small oil painting set for my 14th birthday, and immediately fell in love with the thick opacity of the paint and subtle mixing possibilities that only this medium can offer. I started to paint prolifically at this point and continued to study art in high school, receiving many awards and winning an art scholarship to San Jose State University.
In college, I was fortunate to study with several noted Bay Area artists, among them the late Eileen Gilbert-Hill, who was the Art Director at Mission College in Santa Clara, California in the 1980's. She was extremely involved with the Bay Area Figurists; as a result I received a fantastic education from her wealth of knowledge and personal connections. She was a phenomenal teacher who opened my eyes to alternative techniques and mediums, and other artists who thought outside the box. She also was instrumental in my interest in color theory and composition. Eileen’s mentoring has affected me profoundly, and to this day I continue to employ her techniques for the individual journey and fostering of the creative process.
In addition to painting, I am also an avid photographer. I built my own darkroom when I was 15 years old, and was experimenting with printing on different types of paper and developing unorthodox techniques. Today, I am never without at least one of my three cameras. My eyes see color, shape and pattern wherever I go, and I am obsessed with documenting the world as I see and experience it. A loner by nature, I am keenly observant and often reflective. The beauty of nature inspires me, as well as human condition that relates specifically to loneliness, heartache, desire, love, solitude and memory. I love the photographic process, especially the editing process, where I am free to inject my thoughts and feelings into the work.
I strive to produce artwork with an emphasis on texture, layers, composition, line, form, and color. I am infinitely interested in how these elements relate to each other on a flat surface within the confines of a canvas, or my camera lens. I have an insatiable desire to learn and be creative, always keeping my mind open to new possibilities, techniques, and artistic concepts.
I currently reside in the Sierra foothills in California.
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Headed Home
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