Briana Zonas’ early artistic studies took her to the metropolises of Paris, London, New York, Athens, and Hong Kong where she engaged in diverse creative experiences that include painting, photography, screen printing, and rug design. She spent nearly a decade in the rug design industry, founding Zonas Creative Carpet, LTD in 2002, and working for distinguished firms Odegard, Inc. and Bashian Rugs. She has studied at Parson’s The New School of Design, New York and Paris where she achieved her BFA; the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York; London College of Communication, UK; and Vermont College of Fine Arts, Vermont where she achieved her MFA. Having traveled extensively and lived abroad for a large part of her life, Zonas possesses an expansive cultural view that informs her artistic practice.
Her current work encompasses the broader perspective of trauma that includes resilience and recovery. Her paintings and installations feature an array of mediums, including water-based paints, collage, sticks and yarn, and found items. Inspired by influences such as Gustav Klimt and Wangechi Mutu, her explorations of the female form exude a fusion of colors and resistance within a palette of blues and purples, splashes of red, and glints of gold and silver. Zonas has shown in galleries and community spaces around Southern New England, including the Greenwood Lake Gallery, Goldsmiths’ Gallery, and the David James Gallery.