Sonia Bukhgalter

Sonia was born in 1996 in Florence, Italy. She is half Scottish-Canadian and half Ukrainian. As a 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, particularly gilding, from a young age. She then earned her bachelor's degree in fine arts in Florence in 2019. 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. She has since participated in group exhibitions and art fairs both in Italy and internationally, and her work is featured in multiple online galleries.

"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. 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. My choice to use gold leaf comes from my background working as a gilder and the fact that the gold surface has often been symbolic of divinity in many different cultures, adding depth and movement to paintings. "