Born and raised in the Midwest, Sonja was nurtured in art by her mother. She noted that her mother kept her busy with various types of art projects to keep her out of trouble. As her talent grew, her father who owned a jewelry store in the Illinois town where she grew up, had Sonja put together the window displays. This encouragement not only helped foster her talent but helped build her artistic self-esteem as she continued her pursuit of art in high school.
She pointed out that it was the progressive approach of her art teacher in high school that pushed her even further, teaching gesture, contour drawing and color theory based on color psychology. The teacher in Sonja’s high school art program encouraged her young students to expand their perceptions. Naturally, Sonja flourished and won prizes.
This artistic training paved the way for Sonja’s acceptance into Iowa State University. While obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree there, she also obtained teaching credentials, received Dean’s List scholarships, and became a member of the Honorary Art Fraternity.
Eager to break more ground and advance on to new artistic horizons, Sonja left the Midwest and headed for California. She moved to Berkeley and met her husband Steve Bakalyar. Even though initially the times she was born into were conservative, WWII had just ended, the winds of change were happening during her college years. New ideas and cultural trends were taking hold. Still, her artistic training served her well in the role of mother and homemaker. All the emphasis on progressive art ideas helped her and her husband Steve in the challenges of raising and caring for a special needs child.
For over fifty years her studio work has been enriched by the influence of mentors and teachers at California College of Arts, UC Berkeley extension, and workshops throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Retirement in Sonoma has not been a set back for Sonja. She was among the first wave of local artists who got their works displayed at Studio 35, a local grass-roots art gallery and community arts center.
Unfortunately, after only two years this past April, Studio 35 closed down. Even with all the showings and clamor of local artists eager to display art on every bit of wall-space, the little former cottage house on Patton Street could not sustain itself.
Sonja was disappointed that it closed down. Yet she like the many artists who also had high hopes for the locally grown community studio/gallery, she knows there are risks in any creative endeavor. Framing shop owner next door, John Brians stopped by to show his support. “It is not easy to do art. I envy those who can pursue art and not worry about earning a living. Me, he said, I have not done my art for long time. I have to make a living. Yet, I am thankful I am in the framing business, because I get to help other fellow artist display and promote their work. The arts in every society and culture is very important,” he said.
If it isn’t about the lack of venue, or foot traffic at a locale, then it can be about competition. And, while Sonoma may seem like a little small town, its sense of artistic sophistication is strident.
This season marks the Arts Guild of Sonoma’s 39th Anniversary. In a town mostly known for agricultural endeavors, the Arts Guild solidifies its status as one of the oldest, continuously operating artists’ cooperative in the state of California. The Arts Guild of Sonoma was founded to exhibit and advance the creative efforts of local and Bay Area artists and to promote in its members the highest standards of artistic expression and professionalism.
While Sonja is pleased and thankful to be admitted to such a venue and in the company of dozens of artists, it is something she recognizes as having a sense of responsibility to it.
She avoids giving titles to her works because she wants the audience to describe it for themselves as it makes its impression upon them. “I begin with an idea, noted Sonja, a mood, an impression; sometimes with a dream.
What is in my heart, what is in my mind, becomes a painting.” Sonja admits she is baffled, “How this happens is an enigma to me. But the experience is complex: exhilarating and exhausting, puzzling and hilarious, peaceful and pressured, mysterious and thrilling, joyous and satisfying. Sometimes viewers, she said, have an experience of their own. When that happens, the work is done.” To learn more about artist Sonja Bakalyar, visit her web site.
