WK 2: Sonya Fe

For my artist I chose to do Sonya Fe. Sonya Fe was born in East Los Angeles on September 26, 1952 in a poor neighborhood known as “dogtown”. She is one of eight children born to a Jewish-American mother and a Mexican-American Father. Fe learned to draw before she could walk and even talk. From a young age she was encouraged to draw on the cement floors of their home with chalk, and at night her parents would mop up the drawings (this was much like Picasso’s art on the beach). She describes her childhood as a very upbeat and happy one despite the grit she experienced in her neighborhood. Her father would take her on outings where she drew trees, people, buildings and animals.She is a painter that focuses on fine art prints, painter, author, muralist, etc. At age thirteen, she won her first scholarship and was invited to participate in a summer program at Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. She received her formal art education from Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. Her work has been in museums and galleries all over California, and in New York, Japan, and Mexico for thirty years. I have no prior knowledge of this artist. The reason I chose her was because her name stuck out to me. She doesn't have a particularly Latina last name, so I was curious to learn more. I am excited to learn more about her life and explore all of her paintings.