Christina Szakonyi is an animal sculptor from Florida. She grew up in a rural area of central Florida surrounded by animals that inspired her first drawings and continue to inspire her exploration of the animal kingdom in her work. Originally interested in drawing and painting, she studied the traditional methods of oil painting, charcoal drawing, and the figure. With more exposure to art in museums and galleries, she became fascinated with the experience of sculpture. Today, her sculpture combines the representational and abstract to create elegant animal forms. She was the recipient of the 2023 Laura Ziegler Scholarship for an emerging sculptor.