Laura Sonnek

Laura Sonnek is a rural Minnesota native, happily transplanted in sunny California. She began attending college at the age of 16 to cultivate her budding interest in the fine arts of drawing and painting. She moved to the West Coast in 2019 to further her formal education and received her MFA in Painting from Laguna College of Art and Design in 2021. Today, Sonnek’s first love is still all things fine art. She channels her extroverted nature into intensely chromatic oil portraits, influenced heavily by complementary color relationships and pop culture. Her second love is teaching and enjoys nothing more than helping young artists find their own voice through classical study. Her third love is gluten.

EDUCATION

MFA in Painting from Laguna College of Art and Design (2019-2021)

BFA in Painting from Bethany Lutheran College (2016-2019)

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITION HISTORY

2020 Vision. Laguna Beach City Hall. Laguna Beach, CA. (2020)

Fin. Ylvisaker Gallery, Mankato MN. (2019)

Juried Art Exhibition, Altermatt Gallery, Springfield MN. (2018)

Senior Invitational. Kurt Paulson Gallery, Mankato MN. (2018)

Juried Art Exhibition, Altermatt Gallery, Springfield MN. (2017)

Juried Art Exhibition, Altermatt Gallery, Springfield MN. (2016)

AWARDS AND HONORS

MFA LCAD Merit Scholarship Recipient: Laguna College of Art and Design (2019-2021)

First Place Winner: Springfield Juried Art Show (2018)

Fine Arts Scholarship for Visual Art: Bethany Lutheran College (2016-2019)

Presidential Scholarship Recipient: Bethany Lutheran College (2016-2019)

Merit Winner: Springfield Juried Art Show (2016)