Sochynsky, Ilona

Ilona Sochynsky creates richly colored abstract paintings that pour over the viewer in dazzling visual streams. Her works resemble kaleidoscopic images that seem to spin and then to fall into place, leaving behind glowing canvases with a magical sense of order. For several decades Sochynsky has used photography and collage as source materials for experimentation and inspiration in her work. The photo-realistic fragments, pushed and pulled by the strong compositional movement, function as a deconstructed storyline within the powerful abstract forms. Sochynsky’s paintings create a sense of being in the eye of a storm. The paintings achieve a certain feeling of stillness and order that permit the viewer to reassemble the imagery into his or her own unique narrative.

Sochynsky’s work reflects both a strong classical art training and a marked contemporary sensibility. Very much a part of the group of artists that emerged in the 1970s, Sochynsky’s work shares many common themes and concerns with her peers, most notably, with the Photo-Realist movement and the paintings of James Rosenquist.

Of Ukrainian origin, Sochynsky received her Master of Fine Arts from Yale and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her paintings are held in a number of private and public collections and she has held numerous solo exhibitions throughout the United States. Sochynsky works and resides in the United States.