Sondra Bernstein

Year of birth: 1960
Where do you l
ive: Sonoma, California
Your education: Bachelor of Fine Arts and Associates Degree in Culinary and Hospitality
Describe your art in three words: Hybridized, Authentic, Transformative
Your discipline: Digital Arts, Photography
Website | Instagram

What inspired your transition from the hospitality industry to the world of digital art?

After spending over four decades in the dynamic and demanding restaurant industry. I made the conscious decision to step back from the daily grind of operations. This choice was driven by a desire to slow down, rediscover my creative spark, and embark on the next phase of my personal and professional journey.

The transition from the role of a restaurateur to that of a digital artist was not merely a change in the tools and materials I used, it represented a profound shift in how I channeled and expressed my creativity. In the restaurant world, success was often measured in immediate, tangible responses the visible delight of a customer taking their first bite, the contented sigh after tasting a perfectly paired wine. The feedback was instant and gratifying.

Digital art, on the other hand, requires a different kind of patience and a different set of expectations. The satisfaction derived from creating digital art does not stem from immediate reactions or external validation but rather from a deeper, more introspective process of contemplation. It’s about the personal journey of creation and the meaning imbued in the work itself.

While I still maintain an active presence in the restaurant industry, my primary role and identity have shifted. I now see myself predominantly as the founder and partner of these establishments, but also, importantly, as their resident artist. This new identity allows me to merge my past experiences with my newfound passion, creating a unique synergy between the culinary world and the digital art realm.

Could you tell us about the first time you encountered digital art and how it influenced your creative process?

My artistic journey began with graphic design, utilizing tools like Photoshop and Canva to craft social media posts and branding materials for my business. However, the emergence of NFTs in the art world sparked an intense curiosity within me, leading me to adopt the moniker “4everKurious.”
In late 2020, I embarked on an exploration of digital art and Al, a journey that has been characterized by continuous learning due to the rapid advancements in this field. The boundless potential of new technologies and their capacity to amplify my creative expression enthralled me. My days became a dynamic blend of experimenting with novel imaging tools and refining concepts, often articulating my ideas with the assistance of Al language models. This collaborative process with technology has been both exhilarating and a source of immense inspiration.
Driven by my thirst for knowledge, I found myself spending hours each day on the Clubhouse app, immersing myself in conversations with artists, developers, and crypto enthusiasts. The experience rekindled a passion for learning and engagement that I hadn’t felt in years.
The prospect of NFTs and digital art providing a sustainable livelihood for artists, regardless of their geographical location, was a significant source of inspiration. The potential for earning royalties on resales also captivated me, as it offered a tangible path towards generational wealth for artists and their families-a possibility that had never been so accessible before.
However, the landscape has shifted considerably since then, and the initial optimism surrounding NFTs has been tempered by the realities of the market and the evolving dynamics of the digital art space.

Sondra Bernstein | Blind clarity | 2024

As a creator and curator, how do you balance your artistic vision with your curatorial role at SearchLight?

SearchLight, an early platform for showcasing emerging artists, predates the emergence of computerized opencall opportunities like HUG and JOYN. As a grassroots initiative, SearchLight required time and effort to establish relationships with artists and curators. My initial administrative role involved streamlining processes and consolidating information. However, through collaboration and observation, I discovered that I had always been a curator, and my role at SearchLight solidified this realization. Curating, whether showcasing other artists or one’s own work, is as crucial as the art itself. It involves thoughtful selection and presentation, shaping the viewer’s experience and understanding
The emergence of digital platforms has transformed the art world, offering new avenues for exposure and connection. However, the core principles of curation remain essential. The curator’s role extends beyond mere selection; it encompasses creating a narrative, fostering dialogue, and providing context. In an increasingly saturated landscape, the curator’s discerning eye and thoughtful approach are invaluable in guiding audiences and amplifying artistic voices.

You mentioned that traditional mediums like paintbrushes and charcoal never fully resonated with you. Can you elaborate on why digital art felt like the right medium for you?

Traditional artistic mediums like drawing and painting never quite clicked for me despite multiple attempts. I wanted to be an artist but struggled with the patience required to master these conventional techniques, which led me to explore mixed media, collage, and photography instead-creative outlets that felt more accessible and aligned with my abilities.
When I first discovered Al-generated art, it was a revelation-finally, a medium that could bridge the gap between my creative vision and technical execution. What excites me most about digital art is the dynamic collaboration between human intuition and artificial intelligence. With Al tools, I can experiment with any artistic technique, style, material, or color, creating endless variations without the technical limitations I experienced with traditional media. Yet the process remains deeply personal and creative; it’s still the curator in me who evaluates, selects, and shapes which pieces to share, ultimately crafting the final narrative. This partnership between technology and human aesthetic judgment has opened artistic doors I once thought were closed to me.

Sondra Bernstein | In pieces | 2023

How does Al enhance your creative process, and what role does it play in your artistic expression?

Al isn’t just a tool in my process – it’s more like a creative partner with a distinctly different perspective. Sometimes it misinterprets my prompts in ways that open entirely new artistic directions. Other times, it takes a half-formed idea and reveals possibilities I hadn’t considered. The key has been learning to maintain a balanced dialogue: neither dominating nor being dominated by technology, but engaging in a genuine creative exchange. This collaboration has taught me that creativity isn’t a finite resource to be guarded, but an infinite conversation to be explored.
As Al technology races forward, I find myself both excited and contemplative about its implications for artistic expression. The challenge isn’t just keeping up with new tools, but maintaining authentic artistic voice amid rapid change. I see my future work becoming even more layered – not just technically, but conceptually-as the boundaries between human and machine creativity continue to blur. The constant will be the search for emotional truth within digital expression.

Your art combines photography with Al enhancements. What do you hope to achieve by blending these two elements in your work?

Photography has been my artistic language since college-a medium where I focused on capturing reality through my viewfinder, creating art from authentic moments in time. I maintained a purist approach, never altering my photographs to manufacture scenes that weren’t actually there. This made the emergence of Al as a creative tool particularly transformative for me; suddenly I could visualize and materialize images directly from my imagination rather than just what my camera could capture
When I blend my original photography with Al enhancements, I’m deliberately embedding my creative DNA into each piece. This integration is especially meaningful amid ongoing discussions about authenticity in Al-generated art. By incorporating my own photographic elements as foundational layers-like in my recent poppy series, which began with my flower photography before being transformed through Al techniques-I create a bridge between captured reality and imaginative vision. This layering approach allows me to maintain a personal connection to my work while expanding beyond the traditional constraints of photography, resulting in pieces that are both authentically mine and creatively expansive in ways I couldn’t achieve through either medium alone.

Sondra Bernstein | Fading | 2024

How has your role as a metaverse architect influenced your approach to digital art and its potential for immersive experiences?

My journey as a metaverse architect in Voxels began as an exploration outside my comfort zone but quickly evolved into a meditative and creative practice. The platform’s block-oriented structure challenged traditional design approaches, forcing me to rethink how to create realistic items within these constraints. This process of translating real-world concepts-like Food Halls, Wine Tasting Rooms, and residential spaces-into digital environments taught me how spatial design principles can transcend physical limitations while requiring creative adaptation.
As my work evolved, I gravitated toward two particularly meaningful areas: virtual art galleries and a digital home goods marketplace. The galleries became functional venues for showcasing my art and participating in SearchLight’s open calls, helping me understand the symbiotic relationship between architectural space and digital art. Simultaneously, designing furniture, pottery, and home décor for those who didn’t want to create themselves revealed potential passive income streams in the metaverse economy.
With the proliferation of Al creativity platforms, my focus naturally shifted more toward digital art creation than architectural design. This evolution wasn’t a departure from architecture but a continuation of my interest in creating immersive experiences through different tools and scales. The most profound influence of metaverse architecture on my artistic approach has been understanding that constraints foster creativity, spatial thinking enhances digital art presentation, and truly immersive digital experiences require thoughtful integration of architecture, art, and functionality-principles I continue to apply as I explore new creative frontiers.

Sondra Bernstein | Pieced Togethe | 2024