As a child, I spent many solitary hours drawing from my imagination or any object that caught my eye. I became obsessed with mark making and creating "something out of nothing". I sold my first drawing when I was 12 years old, and soon received requests for comissioned work. I began to dabble in watercolor, and this grew into wanting to learn how to paint with oils. 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 possiblities that only this medium offers. 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 very involved with the Bay Area Figurists, and as a result I received a fantastic education from her wealth of knowledge and personal connections. She was an inspiring teacher who opened my eyes to modern abstract art, alternative techniques and mediums, and other artists who thought outside the box. Eileen's mentoring has affected me profoundly, and I continue to this day to employ her techniques for the individual journey and fostering of the artistic process.
I strive to produce high-quality, professional artwork with an empahsis on compostion, 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 viewfinder. I have an insatiable desire to learn and create, and I always keep my mind open to new possibilities, techniques, and artistic concepts.
In addition to painting, I am an avid photographer. I had my own darkroom when I was 15 years old and was experimenting with different paper and developing techniques as far back as I can remember. 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 arts, especially the editing process, where I can inject my thoughts and feelings into the work.
Another passion of mine is the welfare of animals. I am a longtime animal welfare advocate, and I donate heavily-- in part from the sale of my art work, to various animal rescue organizations across the country. I am extremely fortunate to have found a way to use my creativity to help unwanted, abused, and neglected animals find safety, love, and the medical care they so desperately need.
Please visit my art website at: www.sonyaziegler.com.
I strive to produce high-quality, professional artwork with an empahsis on compostion, 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 viewfinder. I have an insatiable desire to learn and create, and I always keep my mind open to new possibilities, techniques, and artistic concepts.
In addition to painting, I am an avid photographer. I had my own darkroom when I was 15 years old and was experimenting with different paper and developing techniques as far back as I can remember. 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 arts, especially the editing process, where I can inject my thoughts and feelings into the work.
Another passion of mine is the welfare of animals. I am a longtime animal welfare advocate, and I donate heavily-- in part from the sale of my art work, to various animal rescue organizations across the country. I am extremely fortunate to have found a way to use my creativity to help unwanted, abused, and neglected animals find safety, love, and the medical care they so desperately need.
Please visit my art website at: www.sonyaziegler.com.
