Ilona Surrey was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany and worked for many years as a photojournalist for a major German newspaper in the Rhein Main area. After moving to an idyllic town in Middle Hesse, she was inspired by the botanical splendor surrounding her new home to use her camera outside the realm of journalism. She started experimenting with the possibilities of digital painting and was fascinated by the new forms of artistic expression she discovered.
Looking at her artworks is like looking through a kaleidoscope. She interprets structure, color and light in an innovative way: surfaces and structures seem to explode and duplicate; colors are at once glorious and guarded.
Ilona Surrey has developed a multi layered process for repeating and abstracting the botanical elements of her photographs. Through digital forms of traditional art techniques she transforms blossoms and flowers into new objects. These new objects exude a graceful and natural aesthetic that one could almost consider real – an intentional disorientation!
Another aspect of her art: Ilona Surrey’s artworks appear to be paintings at first glance – e.g. a watercolor or an oil painting – and they also exist on canvas. But each work is based on a actual photograph.
Since the beginning of 2018 she has expanded her artistic interests to include new subjects. During several stays in Chicago, a city she describes as "pulsing and vibrating with energy", she created works with her impressions of modern metropolitan life. These works are so compelling that one can hardly look away. She is fascinated by capturing those special moments of daily life that can inspire and electrify us. She has already convinced several juries and won international prizes and awards for her art. www.ilonasurrey.com

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