Sonja Petersen this month’s cover artist

Drawing and painting are my meditation. Recording memories in place and time is my motivation. I strive always for my artwork to honor the sentimental treasures that weave our uniquely personal histories. That is why most of my work reflects the tradition of realism. For it is not for me to reinterpret a subject, but to record it with great care to discover the beauty in the finest details. My work is a way to mark time and to revisit special moments.

My designs are inspired by the contrast of the man-made and the organic world. I'll draw architecture sitting among ivy; and paint clouds to soften towering church spires. I work to represent the glorious energy between the hard lines of our built world and the soft lines of Mother Earth.

~Sonja

grin, "Just like the legs on a table, I have three passions that hold me up and keep me going - my family, my work and my daily sessions in my home art studio."

'Sunset Delight' (this month’s cover) is an acrylic painting on canvas and was originally painted for Sonja's father, Chris, who is shown in the painting holding hands with his lovely wife Susan on the sands of Virginia Beach.

Find more of Sonja's work on her website at ArtworkBySonja com

About Sonja

Sonja Petersen is an artist born and raised in Virginia. She started exhibiting and commissioning pencil drawings in her teens while growing up in Culpeper. She was first recognized with a ribbon in her debut gallery exhibit in 1990 in Washington, VA. After studying painting and printmaking at Virginia Commonwealth Universit y and history at Mary Washington College, she launched her career in marketing and design with the City of Fredericksburg She continued to paint and draw throughout her career, and has been selling her art for more than 35 years. Her work has gained international attention in recent years with house portraits and an illustrated book across the pond and down under. When asked how she does it all, she says with a