An Artist Speaks Season 5 Episode 14 with Guest Artist Sonia Melnikova-Raich

Sonia Melnikova-Raich was born and trained as an architect and artist in Moscow, Russia.  Sonia has lived in San Francisco, California since 1987, working as an artist, art curator and interior designer.  Later in life she discovered photography, however her training as an architect and artist remains visibly present in her work.  She has shown her photographic works in several solo exhibits and in numerous juried group shows, locally and nationally.  The images below represent two distinct groups of Sonia’s Fine Art Photography.

“WHEELS”

“Is a group of digitally transformed and recontextualizied improvisations based on my original photographs of otherwise inconspicuous objects. I faithfully preserve the exact lighting, colors, and textures of the photographed objects and digitally “rebuild” the form. The result is an abstract or surreal image that transcends the material and mundane to become ethereal and significant.”

“Steps”

Is a group of images from the “CONCRETE” portfolio. The name of the portfolio is a play of words on the two meanings of “concrete”: the material of the portrayed objects and an early 20th century art movement close to Constructivism.