Rooted in a family lineage of woodworkers and sculptors, Sylvia’s practice is grounded in a lifelong engagement with making. With formal training in fine arts (BFA and MFA), she has worked across multiple mediums, with oil painting serving as a long-standing foundation. Her practice has expanded to include watercolor, valued for its spontaneity and lightness, and pastels, which offer a more fluid and intuitive mode of expression.

After four decades in Washington, D.C.’s consulting and brand-strategy world, Sylvia returned to painting in 2021 with renewed focus and intention. Now based in Southwest Florida, she draws sustained inspiration from the region’s vivid color and understated beauty. Her Contemporary Coastal work centers on moments of reflection, ease, and quiet wonder—whether capturing fleeting impressions of eclectic beach life or the recurring rhythms of coastal flora and fauna. Together, these subjects reveal everyday scenes that invite lingering attention.

Painting functions in Sylvia’s practice as both a return and a beginning—an act that fosters clarity, calm, and play. Through heightened color and attentive observation, her work offers viewers an invitation to encounter the familiar with fresh eyes and to rediscover the simple pleasure of presence.