Profile: Sonja Benskin Mesher


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In a medieval long-house in Llanelltyd, North Wales, surrounded by mountains, lakes and rivers, and also very near to the sea, is the studio of a highly-rated Artist called Sonja Benskin Mesher. Sonja has lived in this spectacularly beautiful part of the world for more than 15 years now and the ancient landscape has been affecting her work profoundly ever since. The sense of freedom, peace and sheer space of the environment has given Sonja's work an almost inherent, sensual, rhythmic quality. She uses a dialogue of shape and colour to create ideas about the landscape and inherent memory.

She is well known for her prize winning sketches as much as for her abstract work. She says, “I like to draw. I like the immediacy and physical connection I get with the media. I like the memories that form themselves on the paper. I like the marks, and patterns. In quieter moments, the drawing work occurs, reflecting on life, remembering childhood, and unravelling problems.” Many of her sketches have been submitted in our 'SELF:' competition for self-portraits. Click here for more information.

The sense of freedom, peace and sheer space of the environment has given Sonja's work an almost inherent, sensual, rhythmic quality. She uses a dialogue of shape and colour to create ideas about the landscape and inherent memory.

Sonja was born in Bournemouth in the late 1940's and became a full-time professional artist in 1999 after a period of study. She has won many awards and prizes since then and also runs art workshops from her studio.

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