About
Bio
Sonia Greiner, known online as smileymaste, is a mixed media artist based in Atlanta, GA, making intimate drawings, paintings, and prints. Inspired by dreams and the fantasy worlds of the Legend of Zelda series, Tolkien, anime, as well as Greek mythology, Greiner creates quiet, self-contained worlds that build upon her own invented stories.
The nature of dreams, sometimes indistinct and hazy, sometimes bright and bold, influences the application of color in her work, which often wavers between soft watercolor and bold acrylic. A lifelong comic reader, Greiner is also inspired by the graphic quality of cartoons and often uses a similar language in the rendering of her figures. When she is not diving headfirst into the realm of idealized fantasy, Greiner reflects on her experiences with mental illness and trauma, creating more dark, somber work in release of frustration.
Greiner has a BFA from the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia with an emphasis in drawing and painting, as well as a minor in linguistics. Her work has been exhibited at the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, on the website of the Las Laguna Art Gallery in Laguna Beach, CA, and has received the Special Congressional Recognition award. Greiner sells original art on Etsy and reproductions of her work on RedBubble.
CV/Resume
Education
2021
- BFA in Art: Drawing and Painting, Lamar Dodd School of Art (LDSOA), Minor in Linguistics, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, GPA: 3.92, University of Georgia (UGA), Athens, GA
Exhibitions
2025
- Love & Light, Alpharetta Arts Center, Alpharetta, GA
- Order and Chaos, Alpharetta Arts Center, Alpharetta, GA
- Winter Exhibit 2025, Suwanee Arts Center, Suwanee, GA
- The Art of Noticing, Avondale Arts Alliance, Avondale Estates, GA
2024
- Art of the Elements, Alpharetta Arts Center, Alpharetta, GA
- Botanical, Online Exhibition, Las Laguna Art Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
- Reflections, Bowen Center for the Arts, Dawsonville, GA
- Colorful Abstractions, Online Exhibition, Fusion Art, Santa Fe, NM
2022
- Georgia Living (Fine Art), 2022 Georgia National Fair, Perry, GA
- A Smattering of Smileymaste, Solo Show/Pop Up Shop, Big Frog, Dunwoody, GA
2021
- Winter Showcase 2021, Starkville Area Arts Council, Starkville, MS
- Georgia Living (Decorative Painting), 2021 Georgia National Fair, Perry, GA
- Leave Meeting, BFA Thesis Exhibition, Lupin Foundation Gallery, LDSOA, UGA, Athens, GA
- Sky’s the Limit, Online Exhibition, Las Laguna Art Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
- Women in Art, Online Exhibition, Las Laguna Art Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2018
- Foundations Exhibition, LDSOA, UGA, Athens, GA
2017
- Tapestry, Gwinnett County Public Schools District Office, Suwanee, GA
2016
- Atlanta High School Art Exhibition, Atlanta Dogwood Festival, Atlanta, GA
- Tapestry, Gwinnett County Public Schools District Office, Suwanee, GA
Awards/Honors
2024
- 1st Place in Reflections (Division: Mixed Media), Bowen Center of the Arts, Dawsonville, GA
2022
- 3rd Place in Georgia Living (Division: Fine Art- Open/Professional- 2-D), 2022 Georgia National Fair, Perry, GA
2021
- 1st Place in Georgia Living (Division: Decorative Painting- Advanced- Oils- Still Life), 2021 Georgia National Fair, Perry, GA
2018
- Nikon Storytellers Scholarship Semi-Finalist
2017
- Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition, Congressional Art Competition
- Outstanding Art Student, Parkview High School (PHS), Lilburn, GA
2016
- Georgia Governor’s Honors Program Attendee, Major: French, Minor: Ceramics, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA
2015
- 2nd Place in school-level Reflections Art Contest, PHS, Lilburn, GA
Publications
2021
- DreamScape: 2015-2021, BFA Thesis Exhibition Catalogue, March 2021. www.blurb.com/books/10632249-dreamscape
Related Work Experience
2021- present
- Etsy (online shop- originals)
2017-present
- RedBubble (online shop- reproductions)
2017
- Intern, Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, Atlanta, GA
2015-present
- Commissions (detailed below)
Commissions
2022
- Private Commission. Painting triptych, acrylic, tempera, tissue paper on canvas
2021
- 2 Private Commissions. Drawings, graphite and colored pencil
- Private Commission. 40 cabinet knobs, spray paint
- Private Commission. Small drawing, graphite, colored pencil, pen
2019
- 16 Private Commissions. Small drawings, graphite and colored pencil
2018
- 25 Private Commissions. Small drawings, graphite and colored pencil
2015
- 14 Private Commissions. Small drawings, graphite and colored pencil
Technical Skills
2020
- Screenprinting course, LDSOA, UGA, Athens, GA
- Etching course, LDSOA, UGA, Athens, GA
2019
- Lithography course, LDSOA, UGA, Athens, GA
Memberships
2020-present
- Phi Beta Kappa
2019-20
- Printmaking Student Association (PSA), LDSOA, UGA, Athens, GA
2014-17
- National Art Honor Society (NAHS), PHS, Lilburn, GA