About

Sofia Cina emphasizes dramatic splendour and vivid colours in her paintings. The snapshots of moments in time and nature try to capture a sense of effervescent beauty, and they are rendered carefully in acrylic. She begins by choosing whichever subject happens to inspire her at the time, considering the interplay of light and shadow, shape and detail, eventually creating a rough outline. Painting both from landscapes seen in person and compositions collaged from her imagination, her works can often be described as evoking a sense of calm or triumph. Although the process behind each work is never the same, in their final layers, she renders them in a unifying semi-realistic style, which still bears enough of a painterly hue to bring a sense of artistry that simply cannot be expressed through photography.

Sofia Cina lives and works in Toronto, Ontario. She has never been formally trained in art, but has nurtured a relationship with the fine arts for as long as she can remember. It started with drawing simple sketches at home, at school, when abroad, in any morsel of spare time available. This, paired with a love for nature, meant that she couldn’t be restricted to the monochrome hues of graphite.

She soon discovered she had an aptitude for painting, and she enjoyed the bright colours and detail that could only with difficulty be delivered through other mediums. Although she occasionally dabbles in oils and watercolours, her heart belongs to acrylic.

Artist Statement

“The canvases I use are relatively small, as I prefer to spend short amounts of time on realistic-looking paintings. I am truly inspired by the greats before me, whose works never cease to teach and amaze me. Although I have tried conceptual art, ironically, I never found as much freedom and happiness as through the confines of mirroring the world before me. I ultimately embraced the fact I was a representational painter, in love with the old masters. Naturalism is my favourite art genre, and I constantly strive to make my paintings more and more realistic as I progress and develop new skills.”