Sophie Hallonquist

My New Flowers 30x12  Encaustic $990 Unframed	H101 Blue Vase 12x9 Encaustic $340 Unframed	Abstract Tulips III 36x18  Encaustic $1620 Wrap
Four Into Three 24x30 Encaustic $1800 Unframed $2125 Framed	Four White Vases 24x30 Encaustic $1800 Unframed $2125 Framed	H103 White Vase 12x9 Encaustic $340 Unframed
H106  20x20 Acrylic $1100 Wrap

Sophie Hallonquist, like many seasoned artists, has been following her natural inclination to produce artwork that is simple in concept but subtle in texture, highly polished in technique and unmistakably hers.  And it is in the little things of life that she mostly excels--the delicacy of a stalk in a still life; or a flower surrounded by an abstract background as if it were suspended in space.  It is the tapestry of life that captured her interest when she started painting, and such interest hasn’t waned ever since.

Today Sophie lives in Kamloops, BC where she continues to paint and experiment in mastering new techniques and exploring different subject matter.  One of the techniques that she has found very congenial to work with is encaustic.  This oldest method of painting, which consists of mixing pure pigment with molten wax and then using the mixture to create the image and complementary background with texture, requires dexterity and precision.  Her latest paintings of flowers on canvas and paper are a testimony to her artistry and ability to exploit to the utmost this technique.  It is this method that permits her to create images suffused in a veiled sunlight where the viewer is forced to reconstruct the specific subject represented by the artist.  However, upon closer scrutiny, one realizes that the particular object often has no particular specificity and that its reconstruction rests solely with the viewer.  It is this inter-reaction with the viewer that makes Sophie’s work very interesting.

It is true that every successful artist aims to achieve such engagement, such connection with such disarming simplicity that makes you wonder.  This is the mark of a successful artist.  It is the ability to transform a simple object into an emotionally-charged painting that draws the attention of the observer.

Sophie Hallonquist studied art in Poland, at Ryerson University in Toronto, and at the University College of the Cariboo in Kamloops, BC.  Her works are found in galleries and private collections in Europe, North America and Japan.

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