The Sweet Time Before Dark by sonya iwasiuk in Vancouver

Sonya Iwasiuk is a contemporary mixed media artist and artist educator who lives and works in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She spent her childhood years roaming the enchanted prairies of Northern Alberta discovering abandoned homesteads and discarded objects. She realized that these forgotten places were very alive. They speak of people and memory, a silent history of past lives. Sonya received her diploma in advertising in 1991. An award-winning graphic designer, the spirited artist within her needed to break free and she started to pursue painting. She began to experiment with mediums other than paint and has never looked back. Through trial and error, she has developed unique techniques such as large embossed acrylic skins, mixed media paintings on her own hand-rusted steel sheets, and paintings on engraved plaster. She continuously explores and experiments with new combinations of materials and methods to present her creative vision in a distinctive and contemporary way. This adventuring also informs her art lessons and ensures that her teaching is always unique and fresh. Sonya’s artworks are often representative of her childhood years. Beautiful prairie landscapes and derelict buildings are portrayed using various media including plaster, hand-rusted steel, found or repurposed objects and gold leaf. She has also created series based on stories that she comes upon while making her way through the world. Sometimes her stories have more difficult narratives she thinks people should contemplate on such as war, forced migration, SRO’s, abuse, misogyny, homelessness, immigration, racism and prejudice and her LGBTQS2+ community. Her work has been shown in various galleries and exhibitions within British Columbia and Alberta. She has been selected by jury to create public art installation commissions as well as to participate in select art shows. In her spare time, Sonya loves camping alone in the backwoods with the wild ones, foraging for wild edibles, cultural performances and events, and spending quality time with those that she loves.