Sonia Stanyard

In a world dominated by mass production, I deliberately seek to explore the opposite: the intimate, painstaking rituals of making and the possibilities that emerge when you strip away the excess and focus on materials. I engage with, stretch, push its limits, and let the material dictate the direction of the work. It’s in this dialogue between maker and material that my unique process unfolds.

A key aspect of my work is setting self-imposed limits – for me it’s material and colour – this allows me to explore new ways of engaging with the medium. One moment, I might tear large sheets of paper explosively, the next I’m patiently reordering chaotic scraps on the studio floor into delicate, controlled lines. This constant oscillation between order and chaos, destruction and creation, is where the most interesting discoveries happen.

I like to fuse the traditional with the contemporary, the repetitive with the unpredictable and it’s this tension between control and spontaneity that defines my practice. There’s a rhythm to it, a pulse that mirrors the tactile rhythms of craftsmanship and the quiet patterns of nature.