Name
Sierra Barnes

Age Group (If you are a caregiver/family member please check Caregiver/Family Member)
Adult: 21 and over

Describe your art here - type of art, techniques and materials used, what your art represents and what it means to you.
I put my heart and soul into my art and poetry. With it, I want to help and inspire others. I believe art can heal. It’s helped me through some difficult times in my life. My first painting, “Complicated,” is a real example of that.

When I am creating, it takes me into a relaxing meditative state. From the subject to the colors and supplies that I use, I create most of my art intuitively and go with whatever I feel without planning. The main things that inspire my art are my daily life, things that I’ve experienced, and things I observe in the world. Sometimes my art inspires my poetry, and other times my poetry inspires my art. I know not everyone will understand or like my art. But I think that’s the beauty of it. Many people can look at the same piece and like or dislike it and see something completely different.

"I am an artist, writer, blogger, and brain tumor thriver creating in a beautiful world full of chaos."

Please include your age, tumor type and date of diagnosis (patients & survivors only) and let us know how art has impacted your life.
Sierra Barnes believes that art can heal, and her work aims to be a source of hope and inspiration in others. Her relationship with art began at the age of five to help her express her emotions after being diagnosed with craniopharyngioma (a brain tumor) and undergoing surgery.

Her creative process is guided by intuition and is a reflection of her feelings. Sierra enjoys experimenting with visual elements, including color, medium, and techniques, whilst staying true to her artistic principles.

Her work is produced using acrylic and watercolor paints on a variety of substrates, including canvas, wood panels, and paper.

Sierra adds a further dimension to her art by handwriting an original poem on the back of each painting.

Sierra’s art and personal story were featured in the book "You’re So Lucky" by Grace Wethor, a book documenting the experiences of brain tumor survivors. The Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation commissioned her to create two artworks that were later presented as awards.

She has exhibited her art in group exhibitions, including a solo exhibition in her artistic career. She has received several awards and has been praised for the optimistic tone and timelessness of her canvases, and she is currently represented by Agora Art Gallery in New York City.