Wild Wind Art

Playful meandering dust devils; winds brushing through wild manes; and fierce winds of an impending thunderstorm blowing down the face of a mountain range… are some of the experiences that inspired the name WildWind. WildWind is the pencil art of Sonya, depicting western and wildlife scenes of our great American west. Raised on a ranch, Sonya was immersed in the lure of the great outdoors~ the hard work, the dust, the mud, the uncluttered beauty of nature in both the green rolling pastures of the Willamette Valley, as well as when among the pungent sagebrush of the high desert country in eastern Oregon.

"The immense awe that passes through my Soul as I watch wild horses rest in cloud shadows where the winds play upon their wild manes, is indescribable, and so fuels the fire to attempt to capture those kind of unforgettable images through my drawings."

Besides capturing the beauty of the American west through her art, Sonya enjoys team roping, riding, cattle drives, camping/hiking, and observing the mustangs of the high desert basin. You can read about her outdoor adventures in her journal. The wide open spaces, the pristine unspoiled rugged beauty of the high desert, the unpredictable weather, the vast wildlife, the big open and unspoiled skies, and the few remaining shadows of what was once the old American West provide her with inspiration for her drawings. Residing in the foothills of the Cascade Mountain range with her husband who is both her motivator in her art, and photographer of many of her subjects, they travel together gathering pictures for her work. Sonya believes the Soul of the old west still lives as evidenced on working ranches, and felt through quiet shivers when in old ghost towns where dust, wind whispers, and tumbleweeds are the only inhabitants. Through her art she attempts to capture the inner essence of what once was, though now just a whisper on the wind.

Strictly self-taught, Sonya enjoys the challenge of capturing the intimate details of both western and wildlife art. She primarily uses fine point mechanical pencils, and has found that black and white or sepia tones do not distract the eye, but rather the contrasting tones illuminate the detailed beauty of the subject. Incorporated into her artwork in 2005, is the use of authentic wild horse mane-hairs to detail through paint, the detail and structures of horse hair. A percentage of the proceeds of the sales of the artwork with wild horses goes to wild horse protection organizations such as Return to Freedom, and American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign, working hard to keep our wild horses and burros on our western ranges.

"It is inspirational to live in a place where ways of the old west can still be found, and its spirit living on in sheltered pockets of humanity. There are secret areas where one can see for miles without interruption by a barbed wire fence; where wildlife is still abundant, and the winds blow where they will..."

See you where the wild winds blow, Sonya