Sofia Alba is a contemporary artist based on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia, where she has lived and worked since 2019. She spent many formative years in Taganrog, a Russian city with a deep artistic heritage, where she completed eight years of formal art school followed by five years of university study in traditional classical art and painting. This academic foundation continues to inform the clarity, discipline, and nuanced observation present in her work.
Sofia has been creating portraits since early childhood, beginning in kindergarten, and portraiture remains a core focus of her practice. Working across acrylic, oil, watercolor, and soft pastel, she explores a wide spectrum of textures and emotional registers, from delicate tonal transitions to expressive, layered surfaces.
Her artistic influences include classical masters and modern movements alike. Sofia draws particular inspiration from Ivan Aivazovsky’s treatment of light and sea, as well as from the sensitivity and immediacy of the Impressionists. These influences guide her growing interest in marine painting. She plans to devote significant time to creating historically informed seascapes featuring ships, drawing on archival photographs, maritime records, and contemporary coastal studies.
Sofia’s current work brings together portraiture, atmospheric Tasmanian landscapes, and a detailed exploration of natural light. Her paintings are characterised by calm tonalities, precision, and an intimate emotional presence. She blends classical European foundations with contemporary illustration influences and the serenity of Australia’s coastline.
Working from her studio on the Tasmanian coast, Sofia Alba creates art that unites classical training, lifelong dedication to portraiture, and a deepening commitment to maritime subjects, offering collectors pieces rooted in both tradition and personal vision.