Sonja Jackson was born in Newcastle Wyoming in 1971. She has lived in the Cowboy State most of her life.  She currently resides in Cody WY and has lived there since 2001.  The area where she grew up and loves so much has been the biggest inspiration for her artwork.  Hiking and searching for references for her next painting is what she loves to do the most aside from working on her art.  She discovered her interest in painting in high school and art has always been a huge part of her life even when it wasn’t her main career.  Sonja attended college at the University of Wyoming and received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing.  Although art was always her passion and calling, she started her nursing career in 1994 and raised two children.  Now that her children are grown and starting their own lives, Sonja now has more time to devote to doing what she loves most.  She became a fulltime artist in January 2024.

Read Sonja’s Artist Statement below:

Painting my surroundings is what I live for.  I observe nature and interpret the subjects that I find beautiful or intriguing. My paintings typically have a softness and tenderness associated with them.  I have been painting all my life. I am fortunate to now make art my Full-Time career.

My work captures an emotional connection between mankind and our surroundings.  It conveys that humans and animals are alike in many ways.  So much emotion can be conveyed in the expression on the face and the look in the eyes.  I love how art tells a story with no words, open for interpretation by the individual viewer. 

I create in oil paint because I love the diversity in brushstrokes and the rich, vibrant colors that can be captured using this medium.  I also prefer to paint on linen covered birch panels rather than canvas.  The panels provided a surface that allows me to capture fine details in my subjects.  I lean toward realism but add an impressionistic element with my soft edges and blurred backgrounds.