Nice to Meet You.
Hello and welcome to Birth of Pluto! I'm Sonia, and I'm so glad you decided to stop by.
(For your reference, below is a picture of me, in a definitely candid, not-at-all-planned shot.)
Creative expression has always been important to me. As a kid, I would sit with my nan and we would pick something in the room to draw - sometimes for hours. Nowadays, if there's a better way to spend a Saturday night than painting up a storm in the living room with Law and Order playing in the background, then I haven't found it.
I enjoy exploring different subjects and colour palettes, and never limiting myself to a single art focus for too long. I tend to go with loads of colour or none at all, loads of texture or only lines... I suppose I'm an all or nothing kinda gal, and I like to change the pace often.
What does Birth of Pluto mean?
Botticelli is of my favourite artists. One of his most famous works, la Primavera, used to sit by my study desk when I was a kid. Then, years later as an adult, I stumbled upon the original at the Uffizi gallery in Florence. It was far grander than the yellowing, crumpled-at-the-corners A4 piece of paper that used to sit next to me as I studied. No one else was looking at the artwork, so I ended up sitting in the grand gallery, Googling in disbelief to make sure this was the real deal. I went back three more times in my short stay in Florence. You just can't explain that feeling that great art gives you.
Birth of Pluto began as a little play on the name of Botticelli's most known work, Birth of Venus. The joke is mostly that Pluto is a bit of a quirky/weird guy compared to Venus, and I'm far less legitimate than the Birth of Venus (Pluto was eventually kicked out of the Planet squad, after all). But I also love the spirit of the Renaissance; the idea that art serves as a space for reflection, joy, history, mythology, religion, philosophy, social commentary, science, and more. I have a lot of interests, and I love that art can be a conduit for our views, ideas and vulnerabilities, or it can be as simple as a burst of colour that looks pretty and makes us feel happy.
I hope you enjoy being in my little virtual dream cave, and if you do choose to make an order, just know I'll be calling my mum to squeal about it.