Sofie Skapski 

Sofie has lived in Courtenay since July 2004 and returned to painting on a regular basis in February 2006. In the early 70’s she studied art at Capilano College, Douglas College, and the Instituto De Belles Artes in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. She was also a member of Circle Craft Co-op for six years, weaving and selling her work at the Gastown store and at the Christmas craft market at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. Raising four sons as a stay at home mom took her time away from her art for quite a few years. Sofie works primarily in acrylic on canvas and enjoys exploring colour in her paintings from nature. She is a member of the executive of the Comox Valley Federation of Canadian Artists, and also belongs to two local painting groups, The Tuesday Night Painters and Brushworks. 

 Recent Shows: FCA Comox Valley Chapter Summer Juried Show at The Pearl Ellis Gallery in Comox, June 4th to 23rd, 2008; Brushworks Show at Filberg Lodge, Comox, May 17th - 19th, 2008; FCA Comox Valley Chapter 25th Anniversary Window and Hallway Gallery Show at the Comox Valley Art Gallery, Courtenay, BC, April 26 - June 7, 2008; St. Joseph's Hospital, Comox, March 2 - June 30, 2008; Oiginals Only - Comox Rec Centre, Comox, BC - December 1&2; Brushworks Show - Pearl Elluis Gallery - November 14-December 6 2007;  FCA Minis Show - Filberg Lodge, Comox, BC - November 17&18 2007; FCA Juried Show - Timms Gallery,  Courtenay - October 27-November 4 2007; Originals Only – Comox, BC – August 11&12 2007.  

 Artist Statement

The process of painting is always an adventure. There is an amazing point when the initial struggle between paint, brush, and canvas is taken over by a sort of magic and the work in progress becomes a living thing. Caught in that flow, thought and time are irrelevant – colour and form become everything. It’s an elusive place, but it’s where I hope to go every time I pick up a brush and face a blank canvas. 

Working outdoors with plants for a great portion of my life has strongly influenced the subject of my paintings. I strive for an essence of spontaneity in my work, exploring mood, colour and light in themes from nature. Rather than replicate, I attempt to describe what it is about a scene that has caught my interest. A pattern of branches. A fall of light. The curve of a root cradling a rock.

The Anatomy of a Painting

Taking it Further ~ Bluebell Glade

The chosen view               Preliminary sketch            Thumbnail                  Underpainting               Drawing on

Blocked in                                               Adjusting the composition                  More adjustments

Developing the areas                            Adding detail                                                   Fine Tuning

Birds on a Wire  They've been left hanging out to dry.  This collection of paintings was  done in San Miguel de Allende in the early 70s.