Dusk Over the Valley Painting

Sonia was born in 1996 in Florence, Italy. She is half Scottish-Canadian and half Ukrainian. As a young child she was able to experience the beautiful renaissance city of Florence and the incredible artistic ability of its historic master artists. Through her mother's artisan studio she learned many ancient techniques such as gilding and fresco from a young age, then proceeded to earn her bachelor's degree in fine arts from the Libera Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence in 2019. After graduating summa cum laudae with a thesis project on spiritual ascension in the industrialized world, she completed a specialization course on techniques and design for artisans. Her studies and her experiences of both traditional and contemporary art led her to develop her own form of artistic expression through painting on gilded surfaces, continuing to explore the concepts tied to spirituality and emotion. She has since participated in group exhibitions and art fairs both in Italy and internationally, and her work is featured in multiple online galleries. "As an artist I have always found great comfort in observing the sky and its clouds. The vastness of these moving masses of vapor never fails to remind me of my tiny place in the universe. I am inspired by the connection between the vastness of nature and my own internal world of emotions. I paint skyscapes on gilded surfaces, with a focus on atmospheric elements and clouds to explore a dimension between the physical and spiritual world. In this realm of intangible skies where nothing is really defined, the viewer can see the vague reflection of themselves surrounded by swirling clouds that obscure the pure golden light of the gilded surface. My choice to use gold leaf comes from my background working as a gilder in Florence, Italy. The gilded surface has always been symbolic of divinity in many different cultures and religions."