The first we'd ever heard of Sonia Giuliani was in a hurried conversation on Tuesday night. The Grace Emily was heaving with a massive turn out for the charity art auction, The Bald Clanger, and we got tangled up with Merge illustrator Robin Tatlow-Lord while she was attempting to squeeze through the crowd. Robin informed us that it was indeed a classmate of hers who had won and that she was a first-time entrant in the competition. Seeing as though, this was our first Bald Clanger aswell, we had to call up Sonia and see how she found the experience.

As soon as we entered the gallery, upstairs at the Grace, and saw your piece I was amazed at the detail… how long did you spend creating your portrait? I allowed about two and a half days to paint Portrait of a Mark. With each day I devoted about 6-8 hours, with lots of breaks in between. I spent just as much time hanging out and drinking with friends (including Mark) at the Grace leading up to the time to paint.

Mark, also known as "Chopper" descends from the stage, while his portrait sits in the background

Who is Mark? Did you paint him live or from a photo? The character is Mark, or more fondly known by Grace regulars as Chopper. I had met Mark a few years ago when I was working near his mecchanic workshop. Once I met him, I started taking my car to him and then I would occasionally run into him at the Grace. 

I took as many photos of Mark as he would allow and painted the final portrait from one of those photos. Once painted, I got Mark's approval just before I submitted the piece. I am also very pleased with the outcome and very happy that Portrait of a Mark will be part of the wall furniture at Grace.

I was pretty pleased with myself picking that you’d painted on coasters. Looking at your self-portrait in HK, the painting was made up of a collected number of… I dunno what they are… pieces of paper? What is the theme behind this medium? (I see you have found my blog spot. Nice one!) The self portrait that I did while studying fine arts at the Chinese University of Hong Kong was done on small pieces of wood. It was my final piece to end my semester abroad, so I wanted to create an interactive self portrait for my class mates to have fun with. I each gave them a piece and they were the ones who hung each piece and put my portrait together. The final piece was more abstract looking. I find I have more fun creating when the work begins in pieces before coming together which was also my thinking with Portrait of a Mark.

The Grace Emily Hotel's owner Greg (also known as Clanger) holds one of the auction lots aloft during bidding.

Initially I thought, “oil” but getting in for a closer sniff I saw that it was crayons… pastels? What do you use exactly and what do you like about them? How long have you been using them? (Good guessing... but) I actually used acrylic paint. I found when painting on the reverse side of the coaster, the surface was very absorbent. I was constantly using medium and water to prevent the paint from drying up. As a result, I think that is why the work appears to have been done with pastels. I have been working with acrylics for a few years along with pastels, charcoal and pencil. Hoping to get back to oils at some point too.

Now Robin Tatlow-Lord told us that you are perhaps a bit shy with your talents… what made you enter the Bald Clanger? I was at the Grace checking out an exhibition in October when Greg (Grace owner also known as Clanger) asked me if I liked to paint. When I told him I did, he told me all about the Bald Clanger auction and exhibition. It was the first I had heard of it and Greg made it sound like a great event for a good cause. I was getting ideas immediately, particularly the idea of painting on drinking coasters. I found this event gave me the opportunity to experiment and develop my painting skills. It was not until auction night that I realised how popular this event was. It drew a great crowd, full of energy, (alcohol) and enthusiasm for bidding on art works.

What do you love about the Grace Emily? The cool retro vibe, friendly staff, the regulars, the quiet times and the crowd it attracts at busier times. 

 What do you love about life? I love that life is what you make of it: Create; Paint; Play; Laugh; Stress; and Breathe.

Visit Sonia's Blog here.