Tina Sonka spent her childhood in South Gippsland, Victoria before moving to Bairnsdale, East Gippsland.  She studied at the Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education, completing a Bachelor of Visual Arts.  Tina Sonka then went on to further tertiary study, gaining a Graduate Diploma of Education; at present she is teaching art at a secondary college in East Gippsland.

Tina was first mesmerized by the visual arts and developed an appreciation of cultures and architectural forms on a childhood vacation to Holland, the homeland of her ancestors.  It was the combination of the Old Dutch Masters co-existing with Modern Art, the old and new architecture and blend of cultures which evoked a passionate response in Tina – this was the first of many trips overseas.

Featuring a textural combination of oil-sticks, pastels and acrylics, Tina’s artworks are characteristically distorted and colourful, often capturing much loved objects and furniture from Tina’s home.  Favorite chairs and family heirlooms feature against colour-saturated walls, intricately patterned floor rugs and cushions, with wide-open windows inviting a view to the world beyond.