Sharon McMillan
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.
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!