Parker Swimming

Shaera Hayes

Throughout high school I took drawing and painting classes where I won several Art competitions. I never submitted my own work; Art teacher’s submitted on my behalf. They recognized my talent and supported it. I created work as it was natural for me and a way to creatively express myself. I have an introverted personality type who finds solace in drawing and painting for hours on end.

In college I originally studied psychology and counseling as well as yoga. I have an interest in human behavior and emotional intelligence. While these subjects fascinated me, I knew that Art was my calling. I changed my major in college to Fine Art then transferred to UC Davis for a Bachelor’s in Studio Art where I studied under several successful artists who served as professors. I created work that appeared beautiful to me, but my professors encouraged me to explore a form of expression that wasn’t necessarily “safe”. After a number of critiques emphasized my work was indeed well made yet lacked creative expression, I began creating self portraits that explored emotions. My original drawings often displayed a mix of polished areas with frenetic line work. The contrast in mark making was most appealing. I worked to create pieces that showed the duality of emotions, mainly happiness and sadness.

I draw inspiration from favorite artists Chuck Close and Janet Fish. My original pieces were modeled after Close’s photorealism portraits. I found the mood Fish created with her beautifu ... view more »

MORE ABOUT THIS ARTIST

Artist Style: Visual Art : Abstract , Figurative , Portraiture

Artist Medium: Acrylic

Artist Statement of Work

Tell us about your work (style, approach, philosophy, subject and/or theme):

Shaera Hayes is a visual artist based in Texas, who uses painting as a tool to combine structure and chaos to explore emotions. She investigates the balance between positive and negative emotions and the idea of finding equilibrium between the two extremes of feeling. Her works focus on figurative portraits, employing the use of yin-yang as a symbol of emotional balance and harmony. Using acrylic paints, intentional mark making as well as drips, Shaera finds a balance between structure and chaos, a balance between light and dark - black and white - the color and forms coexisting side by side. Through her art, Shaera seeks to capture raw emotion and mood, enabling her to express the complexities of life and how different emotions can dynamically coexist. Influenced heavily by the world around her, she takes inspiration from the emotions of the everyday - the happiness, the sadness, and the feeling of being in the present. She believes a viewer should feel something, happiness or sadness, when looking at her artwork.