About Sharon McMillan

     Painting, for me, is a discipline in hope; both for the artist and for any viewer who pauses to look.  I work in the ER - where I see more than my fair share of sickness, pain, and tragedy.  Anyone working in this context, to avoid becoming jaded, has to find a way to experience goodness and interact with it on the level of the heart. Painting is one of the ways I experience God's goodness to me spiritually and intellectually; it requires careful discipline and focus, and I've found it to be a way to indirectly process and balance the pain I witness at work.

     When I take my easel outside and paint creation's beauty, or take the time to notice what beautiful shapes and colors makes a person's likeness unique, my deep mental involvement with the beauty I see allows me to align the rest of my experiences with a faith that everything will be made good and beautiful again.

     When I am discouraged by the brokenness around me, I find that starting a portrait inspires joy in capturing a person's likeness; each mirrors God's image, they each have a story to celebrate and a personality to magnify.  The more painting I do for and with people, the more I am convinced that artwork has a phenomenal way of infusing hope and joy into the hearts of both the artist and the viewer.

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     My hope is that in viewing my work, you can find the same Hope I encounter as I craft my paintings. 

   

     I have been painting for about 5 years now, and am focusing on oils. I do enjoy commissions; please reach out if you would like one done for you or a loved one!