ABOUT THE ART STUDIO

SONTERRA has proven to be an artist’s dream studio… the remote country location deep in the heart of East Texas in the middle of the giant pines, aged oaks and fresh air.

It is positioned on the top of the hill in the middle of 100 acres which enables privacy. There are plenty of outdoor spaces to enjoy the natural settings, including an outdoor stone patio with fire place.

But most of all it is a wonderful place to create art. It’s a unique privilege to indulge in the creative process surrounded by the sights, sounds, smells and ethereal beauty that is SONTERRA.

Decades ago, Bruce and Amy visited Monet’s studio in Giverny, France and had a clear understanding of what was needed for a great painting studio – big open space and northern natural light, returning to Texas, designing and then building SONTERRA. It is a great natural light studio for working during the day and has great lighting for evenings. The 25 foot ceiling creates a substantial open feeling.

The painting wall is 40 feet long and 25 feet high. It is very open and allows Bruce to focus on very large (as well as small) paintings. The room is 55 feet deep which allows good distance to view a painting in progress. The painting wall also serves as a large gallery wall to display finished art for public viewing.

SONTERRA is also equipped with audio and visual technology for working or enjoying. All in all, there are always works in progress, as it is studio space complimented by comfortable living quarters. We love sharing the remarkable beauty of the various seasons at SONTERRA throughout the year with family, friends and guests from around the globe.

The two things that guests and clients always enjoy, visiting the studio over the years, is sitting by the fire at night and sitting under the open Texas sky in the pine trees. For those reasons, a new outdoor space that has a large fireplace but no roof was built. This new space is accented by sculpture and artifacts from Indonesia.

In the landscape as you approach the outdoor patio is an engraved stone with “COLUMBIA” on it to memorialize the tragic explosion of the space shuttle. Several burned pieces of the space shuttle were found on the property and claimed by the investigators from NASA.

The Spanish-styled 3-tiered water fountain nearby adds the tranquil sound of water to the general area around the studio compound.

At night, the area becomes not only a dramatic display of the art within it, but a place of quiet evenings where one can connect with nature and re-connect with family and friends.