Arts & Culture

Sonya Paz: A California Artist Infuses Pop Art with California Sunshine

Cash for your car

Sonya Paz, Ernie HudsonSonya Paz is a pioneer in the modern Pop Art movement. Her love of life and joy shines through her uninhibited use of color and form. Her work is vivid, imagination, energetic. It never coyly beckons (although that is charming in its own right); it grabs you by your visual senses and pulls you inward. Her art is like an energetic and joyous friend at a party, forcing you to dance and have a good time– and before you know it, you do.

Paz’s joyful art is mainly inspired by Cubism and Pop Art, although there are certainly influences of modern art, surrealism, and even traditional styles.

Paz has traveled world extensively to study art and history. Her passion for all kinds of art manifests itself as a deep personal expression in her work.

In addition to classical and contemporary art influences, her art is also greatly  influenced by her southern California roots. It is joyful, bright, colorful, and expressive.

Considering Paz’s and her art’s Northern California heritage, it is no wonder one gets a warm, homey, wine country/slightly mediterranean-influenced  feel from looking at one of her paintings. A Sonya Paz painting feels right at home on a wall in a beautiful Napa Valley home, with the warm breeze and golden sunshine streaming in through the doors of the terrace; the air filled with aromas of California wine, garden-fresh cuisine, and great friends.

Sonya Paz art.

Paz’s paintings adorn the walls of many galleries and the private homes of happy clients across the United States. Some of the more prominent galleries include: PoP Gallery at the Walt Disney Resort in Orlando, FL; the HoyPoloi Gallery in Chicago;  the Westwind in Hood River; and the HayStack Gallery in Cannon Beach, OR.

However, the United States is not the only place to recognize Paz’s talent. She has many fans all around the globe, as her paintings can be found in collections in Australia, Canada, Chile, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malta in the Maltese Islands, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, Switzerland and Turkey.

Not to be outdone by others in her own art, Paz recently expanded her own gallery, Sonya Paz Exclusive Gallery location and headquaters and Main Gallery Showroom, in Santa Clara to 4,800 square feet. She also runs her own high-end Pop Art Shop in Downtown Campbell, CA, which carries anything from greeting cards to pendants to pillows to clocks and more – all bearing her artwork, of course.

With such far-reaching and impressive renown, it is no wonder that Sonya Paz has many private, as well as corporate, clients. She’s been commissioned by numerous festivals, events, restaurants, museum, shops, and wineries across the nation. Paz has designed wine labels, posters, and promotional venues, in addition to her work being featured in many such festivals and exhibitions.

Sonya Paz's Pop Art Shop 

Her work has been featured at many exhibitions, including Concannon Vineyards, Effusion Gallery and ArtExpo International in New York City in 2004, 2005, and 2007.

Sonya Paz In 2004, her art was featured the Sausalito Art Festival. Other festivals showing off her artwork include the Palo Alto Festival, the Livermore Wine Valley Harvest Festivals, and the San Ramon Art and Wind Festival (Paz designed the posters for the latter). In 2004 and 2005, her artwork was chosen for the cover of the Vine Times, as well as for the City of Baldwin Park 2005 summer music concert series.

Recently, Paz designed the posters for the San Jose Half Marathon in October of 2006 and 2007.

Her deep loyalty to the joy of life gives her a natural affinity and empathy for others. Sonya Paz art Sonya Paz has worked and continues to work, both personally and on a corporate level, with many charities, particularly to raise funds and awareness for the National Breast Cancer Foundation and the Humane Society of Silicon Valley (HSSV). She makes to be as socially conscious in running her company as possible – giving back a generous portion of sales to these organizations through her company.

Paz also gives back in another way – she’s written articles, to assist at her fellow artists, about marketing art and the business tools and know-how artists need to maximize their art in the “real” world.

Some of her articles include: “Shipping Your Art” 2000, "Tips for Successful  Auction Pages” 2000, and "Pricing Your Art" 2001. They can be found here:

Sonya Paz resides happily and artistically with her partner and manager Mark, and their Maltese canine fur-ball ‘S.A.M.i’ (an acronym for Sonya and Mark) in San Jose, California.

Visit www.sonyapaz.com to browse through clients’ testimonials, merchandise, collections, upcoming events of her artwork, or to find out more about the artist herself!

Celebrities who have received Sonya Paz artwork as gifts include: Robert Carradine, Cheech Marin, William Shatner, Ernie Hudson, Harry Shearer, Mimi Rogers, Shar Jackson, Coolio, David Blue, Louis van Amstel, Amanda Zubillaga, Lauren Storm, Chiké Okonkwo, Sean Borg, Sara Rue, Kris Black, Leif Garrett, Shaun Taub, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Marco Beltrami (Oscar Nominee), Brett Stimely, Arthur Roberts, Phil Brock, Ron Melendez, Christopher Massey, Kyle Massey, Omarosa Manigault, Sam Phillips (Radio 97.1), and Leyla Milani (Model with Deal or no Deal).

About the author

Magda Orlowski