Sylvia Antonsen was born in Dorset and studied contemporary painting at Bournemouth College of Art where she obtained a National Diploma in Design.

Sylvia then worked as a designer at the Royal School of Needlework. She also spent time as a visiting lecturer in Drawing and Printed Textiles at Northampton and High Wycombe Schools of art for two years. Antonsen subsequently taught drawing, painting and printmaking until able to resume full-time painting in 1991.

As an artist Sylvia Antonsen has had a recurring interest in marine scenes. White coastal buildings are a familiar theme to her painting. These can be inspired by simple beach huts, elegant houses or timeless lighthouses.

Antonsen’s Danish heritage is also a constant influence in her contemporary paintings. She successfully paints haunting scenes with remote flat landscapes featuring lone boats in uninhabited marshy areas. Other influences on Sylvia Antonsen have been artists Edward Hopper and Paul Nash.

Whatever the subject, Antonsen creates paintings that are crisp and stark with immediate appeal but they also display enduring qualities. The finesse of Antonsen painting starts with the basics. Sylvia uses only the best quality stretched linen canvas and after further careful preparation the finest of brushes to create the precise detailing so evident in her paintings.

As well as exhibiting at Red Rag Modern Art Gallery in the Cotswolds Sylvia Antonsen paintings have appeared in many leading art galleries in the England and Scotland in both solo and mixed shows.

Sylvia Antonsen paintings are held in many collections throughout Europe. In 2004 Antonsen was an invited artist at the 2004 Singer Friedlander art exhibition.