She graduated from the Katowice branch of the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. She studied painting in the atelier of Professor Andrzej Kowalski. She obtained her diploma in 1982 in the graphics department under professor Stanisław Kluska, then an additional one under professor Andrzej Pietsch. She first dealt with graphic techniques before devoting herself exclusively to painting. From the beginning, she was fascinated by portraiture, which was linked to her passion for psychology. A stay of several years in Italy, where she studied the paintings of the early Renaissance masters, had a decisive influence on her work.

The artist's speciality became custom-made portraits in various styles, depending on the viewer's expectations, and a series of paintings depicting orchids. Since 1990, the artist has lived with her husband, Tadeusz Biernot, a painter, in Toronto, where she has a portrait studio. Ilona Biernot has a wide range of painting possibilities - from the early Renaissance style to art deco to realistic portraiture. More important than likeness is capturing the truth of the person being portrayed, finding elements symbolically related to them and inner beauty.

The orchid series, in which the artist oscillates between realism and abstraction, giving the works both decorative and artistic value, is very popular. Ilona Biernot collaborated with the Maria Nowotarska Salon of Poetry, Music and Theatre in 1993, for which she painted six portraits of women for the play 'Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska'.

Ilona Biernot's works can be found in private collections: in Canada, Houston/USA, Italy, England, Austria, France, Luxembourg, Germany and Poland.

Selected exhibitions: Individual Show, Palazzo Frontini, Ancona/Italy, 1989; One Man Show, PEKAO Gallery, Toronto, 1991; Canadian Art by Polish Artist, City Hall, Toronto, 1992; One Man Show, Gallery 306, Toronto, 1993; Poetry on Canvas, Bistro 990, Toronto, 1994; One Man Show, Gallery Seven, Toronto, 1995; 13th Annual Portrait Show, Francesca Anderson, Boston, 1996; One Man Show, Galileo Gallery, Toronto, 1998; One Man Show, Brush Gallery, Toronto, 2003; 14th Annual McMichael Art Show, Kleinburg, 2004; Towne Square Gallery, Oakville, 2008.

Work in catalogue
Ilona Biernot, 'Allegria II', acrylic, oil, silver lacquer on canvas. Biernot has been consistently painting orchids for many years. The orchid series simultaneously captures the realistic shapes of these exotic flowers and is also a painterly interpretation of them. The elegant paintings, created on a large scale, have a decorative value while reflecting the artist's painterly artistry.