The Hope Collection

‘Hope’ by Sharla Miller-Baer

In 2022, I was commissioned to paint hope. The painting of ‘Hope’ marked a turning point in my life. I no longer thought of art as a hobby, but as a tool for change. I realized the power of symbolism in art, and how symbolism can by conveyed through subject, color, and light. I realized that a simple painting could be impactful to many people. I further realized that if art is weird or uncomfortable to look at, it stamps itself into a person’s psyche, and they remember it over and over again, whether they love it or hate it.

I had always loved to paint strange things, but I had shied away from it because I wanted to master realism. It was difficult for me to imagine fusing my love for realism and detail with the strange and unexpected. What I didn’t realize was that good storytelling has everything to do with the strange and unexpected.

Although ‘Hope’ was a commission, it was a painting that told my story. I knew I wanted to tell my story with art. I knew that the stories I would tell were foreign to many people. That’s when I finally figured out how to fuse reality with the weird in my paintings. That is how the concept for the Hope Collection came to be.

I’ve been fleshing this idea out for two years now. Although I’ve just begun this project, I know it’s going to be powerful— for me, for my childhood culture, and for those of you following along. I’m so excited to finally have a solid vision and be able to share a part of that vision with you.

The Hope Collection will have ten art pieces, each piece tackling difficult subjects like grief, sexual assault, loss of community, dissociation, judgement, objectification of women, purity culture, and body dysmorphia. Interwoven with these themes will be the religious culture and beliefs I grew up with, and how they contributed to these issues. The Hope tree I painted will be featured in all ten paintings in some way, hidden or visible, and it’s up to the viewer to find it.

I’ve always felt the many things I loved to do were in competition with each other. Writing, painting, sewing, and visual storytelling are all things that I’ve loved for many years, and I’ve found a way to incorporate them into this collection of paintings. Because of this, these paintings will be part of a type of performance art, as well as visual art.

The ideas for these paintings usually come to me in a ‘flash,’ so to speak, where I see the finished image in vivid detail. The first of these images came to me when I was thinking of my grandfather’s funeral, and the sense of grief, loss, and judgement that came with that experience. It’s currently a work in progress in my studio.

Another work in progress (detail photo pictured above) is ‘Broken,’ the largest painting of the collection. This painting is a re-imagining of a painting I did back in 2020. ‘Broken’ is a self-portrait of sorts. It is about healing and growth after life falling apart. ‘Broken’ is the reason I’m creating this collection.

I believe that stories like mine are common, but it isn’t common to tell them through the medium of art. The reason I left the church of my childhood was so I could have the freedom to create and to say what I needed to. Religion is good, in its place, but when religion suppresses the truth, it is self-serving and harmful. My hope is to always tell the truth with my art, to inspire, to enlighten, and to heal.

I am always incredibly grateful for the support I receive for my art and its message. Thank you to everyone who is following along and who believes in my work. You are the reason I can keep going, and I appreciate you more than you know. Thank you for your support as I begin this project.

Cheers to the journey.