Tina Sotis

Tina Sotis



"Although I have some formal education in painting and drawing techniques, my conceptual approach comes from within. The paintings are built like stage sets in an attempt to draw the viewer in and decide what it means. I pit light against dark, echoing that same tension within each of us. I've also begun to incorporate imagery based on my love of all that is wild; including our own inner wilderness...

My work is about transformation and reflects my own growth and experiences. Within the past few years I have gone through enormous personal change and I have embraced this in my new paintings: I am now including imagery of the seas, influenced by a new passion for diving. Recent works also reflect my new-found sense of exhilaration, optimism and an appetite for adventure and exploring the world. My intention with each painting is to offer the viewer a sense that they can enter into the image and wander there alone - and in wonder, like I am now at this stage of my life, at the mystery and drama unfolding in every second we are alive.

Born and raised along the Hudson River Valley, I moved to Phoenix, AZ in my late 20's and lived there for approximately 10 years. Even though I now live in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, I have spent much of my time in recent years traveling, always to be near the sea. And I have made many friends around the world whom I consider my family."