MFA (Hons)
Sophie Saunders is a practising painter based in her studio in Waikanae on the Kāpiti Coast. She trained at the Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland, where she developed a lifelong focus on colour, light, and form, and on expressing what she describes as moments of the ineffable.
Born in 1968 and of New Zealand and Luxembourg descent, Sophie graduated with an MFA (First Class Honours in Painting) from Elam in 1992, supported by a Graduate Scholarship and the Rothmans Award. Her work has been widely recognised, with multiple finalist placements in major national awards including the James Wallace Art Award, the Visa Gold Art Award, the Waikato Art Award, and the Wellington Regional Art Award.
Alongside her studio practice, Sophie has an extensive teaching career in tertiary art education, having taught at Elam School of Fine Arts and Massey University’s School of Fine Arts and School of Art & Design Studies. She has been a valued tutor at The Learning Connexion since 2004 and, since 2022, has coordinated the Advanced Diploma (Level 7) programme, mentoring emerging artists as they refine and deepen their practice.
Sophie was awarded the Rita Angus Cottage Residency in Wellington in 1998/99 and has lived, worked, and travelled internationally, including extended time in Japan, as well as travel throughout the USA, Asia, and Europe – experiences that continue to inform her contemplative and materially rich painting practice.
