A long-time resident of Grand Forks, Sonja Gartner was born in Germany and shaped by formative years in Mexico. These early days impressed upon her a lasting sensitivity to people and place. In the exhibition Travel, she turns her attention to foreign landscapes. Working in oil, Gartner moves between realism and abstraction with a steady hand. Her practice began in the abstract - geometric forms, mandalas, and optical patterning - where structure and repetition guided her work. Over time, she turned with discipline toward realism, studying technique and composition. She continues to evolve and broaden her focus. From early geometric works to a sustained pursuit of representation, she works in the space of observation and imagination.