Saskatchewan Artist

Depth in the Shadows - 2009 - by Jean E. Sonmor

Jean E. Sonmor

Jean E. Sonmor was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1946. Sonmor has worked in paint and fabric since childhood. Early training in drawing, sculpture and painting, and the experience of plein air painting in Northern Ontario with A.Y. Jackson laid the basis for a career in fashion illustration and graphic design.

Before turning to art-making full-time in 2007, Sonmor enjoyed a successful career in graphic design, and worked as a fabric artist for 14 years. Her art clothing and other fabric works were part of the Saskatchewan Craft Council's touring show Dimensions in 1983, 2005, 2006, and 2007.

Sonmor's acrylic-on-canvas paintings are inspired by her love of the natural world. She writes, "I have never been satisfied with the mere surface of things. There is so much more beneath the surface in all of life that I want to convey in my paintings. Because I love to look deeply, I paint in layers, as if I were doing an archeological dig." Sonmor's work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in Saskatchewan, including in a recent show at Regina's Cumberland Gallery, "Introspection" (2011-2012).

Sonmor has led art workshops for adults and children, including a 2012 Artist-in-Residence in Tilting, Newfoundland.

Jean E. Sonmor lives and works in Wolseley, Saskatchewan.