Artist Statement
“Art has given me a voice when I don’t feel heard and visibility when I don’t feel seen,” Baca says. That’s why the heroines and saints she often chooses to depict are role models for those who have traditionally been silenced or sidelined.
Sarah Beth Baca specializes in 2-dimensional works of art that are narrative in nature. She warmly welcomes viewers into visual stories that have been meaningful in her own life. All art is to some extent autobiographical, since it’s impossible to separate the artist’s life from the artwork that artist creates. Baca’s images are rooted in vivid childhood memories; both positive and negative experiences within the church; imaginative ways she has worked alongside under-resourced communities; as well as significant interactions she has had with her family and friends.
“Art has given me a voice when I don’t feel heard and visibility when I don’t feel seen,” Baca says. That’s why the heroines and saints she often chooses to depict are role models for those who have traditionally been silenced or sidelined. Baca’s art tackles complicated issues like the role of women in the church or the economic and social inequities that can be found within various communities. One of her main goals is to help facilitate healthy conversations surrounding both the civic and spiritual concerns of injustice, but always through a hopeful, restorative lens.
Both Baca’s watercolors and mixed media compositions have a whimsical feeling. Although she’s dealing with weighty matters, her images come across as visibly light and airy. Her illustrative pieces contain a rambunctious energy that tends to dance off the page and into one’s heart. Her intricate line work delivers an abundance of decorative patterns, while bold color and layers of texture draw the viewer’s eye into Baca’s world—a world where everything has been made right. She often finishes her images by adding texts—sometimes serious, sometimes humorous, or sometimes even satirical.
Baca received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art from Houston Christian University in 2001. Her work has been featured in both solo and group exhibitions ever since. Baca has developed an international clientele, who use her visual images in a wide variety of ways. Sarah Beth lives and works in the greater Houston metropolitan area with her husband, Brandon, and their three children, Asher, Eden, and Ruby.