Shara E. Bailey is a contemporary painter originally from suburban Philadelphia whose work is rooted in both the natural world and the overlooked corners of the built environment. After earning a PhD in anthropology and establishing a career as a professor at New York University, Bailey turned to painting as a medium to reconnect with the vast skies and rugged landscapes of the American West while residing in the Northeast. Her practice frequently examines abandoned structures, urban scenes, and everyday locales, uncovering unexpected beauty through her precise use of color, light, and perspective. Bailey has participated in numerous exhibitions and juried shows throughout New Jersey, including the SOMA Artists’ Studio Tour and the Tewksbury Historical Society exhibitions, where she was notably awarded Best in Show and recognized for her depictions of the Built Environment.
Artist Statement
Born and raised in a suburb of Philadelphia, I knew from an early age that I longed to be elsewhere. My grandmother’s stories of road trips through Arizona and New Mexico sparked my imagination and awakened a longing for the open skies and vast landscapes of the American West.
That yearning eventually took me to Tempe, Arizona, where I spent a decade completing a PhD in anthropology. Ironically, that path led me back east to New York City, where I became a professor at NYU. Even back in the tri-state area, the red rocks, blue skies, and magnificent sunsets of Arizona stayed with me.
One evening, feeling melancholy on a bus ride home, I looked out the window and saw the sunset reflecting in the windows of a building across the Hudson River. In that moment, it struck me: beauty is where you find it.
In Arizona, beauty was everywhere—towering cumulus clouds above the Valley of the Sun, morning light spilling over the San Francisco Peaks. But in the suburbs of New Jersey, I had to look more closely. What I discovered is that beauty is all around us; sometimes, all it takes to see it is a shift in perspective—a pair of rose-colored glasses, perhaps.
My work reflects this duality. Some of my paintings capture the raw, natural beauty of dramatic landscapes and expansive skies. Others reflect my search for wonder within the built environment. I feel a quiet intimacy with abandoned buildings and forgotten structures—as if they’re whispering stories of their past. Through my art, I try to revive some of their faded glory, preserving their spirit on canvas.
Whether I’m painting a graffitied water tank in a desert suburb or a port-a-john glowing at sunrise, my goal is the same: to reveal the hidden beauty in overlooked places.
New Brunswick Art Salon 2026 – Oil and Mixed Media “Pigmented Perceptions” Exhibition
New Brunswick Art Salon 2025 – Oil, Sculpture, and Mixed Media “The Mundane in Motion” Exhibition
Education
2017-2025 NJ Visual Arts Center with Valeri Larko
1984 Graduated from North Montco Vo-Tech in Commercial Art (3-year certicate program). Award for best student.
Exhibitions & Shows
2024
Tewksbury Historical Society( Juried Show)
Basin Gallery It’s a Small F*cking World
SOMA Artist’s Studio Tour
2023
SOMA Artists‘ Studio Tour
Tewksbury Historical Society (juried show) Winner: Best In show
2022
Tewskbury Historical Society (juried show) Winner: Built environment, Honerable mention: Built environment
SOMA Artist’s tudio Tour, Maplewood, NJ
2021
Summit Downtown Arts Festival (juried show), Summit, NJ
Contact
Website: www.sharabailey.com
Instagram: @sebineurope