Sofie Skapski

Map #49
My biggest inspiration comes from trees and sky. The sky holds me in enchantment; the trees lead me up to it. I can only imagine the conversations they have as I gaze up at branches catching that ephemeral light. The silhouetted trees reaching up, the clouds scudding across that great expanse, the colours that suffuse and drain at dawn and dusk: all these speak to me and find expression in my paintings. I also do figurative, floral, seascape and landscape work.

Creating art has always been an integral part of my life. After high school I studied art at Capilano College earning a diploma, went on to do 10 months of studio work in Malaysia, then attended the Instituto de Belles Artes in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I followed this up with drawing courses at Douglas College, BC, in 1976 and weaving courses at Kwantlen College, BC, in 1979. I moved to the Comox Valley in 2004 and have been painting full time since 2006. I currently paint from my home studio in Courtenay, BC.

I’ve worked in Acrylics most of my life, switching to oils in 2010, and more recently mixing the oil paints with a cold wax medium. I mainly paint on cradled wood panels but also have paintings on stretched canvas or linen. When the oil paint is mixed with the cold wax it is thicker, dries faster, and has a more matte finish. It can be used thickly for textured effects. I have developed a number of techniques with this medium, using either palette knives or brushes. Many of my tree paintings are painted in my mosaic technique, where I overlap dabs of paint to create a mosaic like effect.