Sharon Mergener
Bio
Sharon is a mixed-media artist, teacher, and writer who sees life as a series of unfolding portals
—each an opportunity for reflection, reinvention, and creative exploration.
With a BFA in Fine Arts, with an emphasis on Painting and Drawing, and a Master of Arts in Teaching, Sharon brings over 25 years of experience as an artist and educator. She has taught in urban and suburban public elementary schools, community programs, and higher education. As an adjunct professor, she specialized in fine arts methods and cross-curricular education. She helped aspiring teachers integrate creativity across various subjects. Her most recent teaching assignment was for a private school’s virtual campus, where she led STEAM-based learning for twice-exceptional students in the neurodiverse world.
Whether in person or virtually, her classroom work is rooted in project-based learning and curiosity
-consistently questioning the world.
She holds a lifetime teaching license for all subjects in grades 1–6, privately tutors, and soon will offer
her own classes and workshops.
Sharon has been an artist for most of her life and grew up creating visual art. She started with a mural on her bedroom wall at age five, done with a permanent marker she brought back from a kindergarten field trip. Looking back, she sees that as one of many foreshadowing moments for her life as an artist.
She consistently created in many forms throughout school, studied art in college, and continues to participate as an artist today.
So far, she has exhibited her visual art in over 70 local shows. Sharon shows and sells original paintings—from intimate small pieces to large-scale works—in local galleries, restaurants, shops, and community venues. Her murals are mainly in residential spaces, and she creates unique, one-of-a-kind commissioned pieces based on personal connection.
Her mixed-media work is layered and playful, infused with science, math, the natural world, Sci-Fi mysteries, and humor. While she often feels like a scientist experimenting with materials, she also deeply connects with the soul of a musician and writer.
Currently, Sharon continues to create in ways that align with her life and will share more here and in real life.
Artist Statement
My visual art is a culmination of my love for nature, deep dives into various topics
-and their connections to one another.
And my love for both transparency and juxtaposition.
As a mixed-media artist, I experiment like a scientist with encaustic medium (beeswax + damar resin), oil paint and cold wax, layered acrylics, spray paint, metallic inks, and an endless exploration into familiar and unexpected materials such as
sand, paper | glass beads | gel medium | glow-in-the-dark | homemade pigments & inks | holographic effects | metal leaf
and the beats goes on.
And my process continues to evolve, alongside and responding to life itself.
I create various series. Over the years, these bodies of work have morphed into one another and that has deepened my connection to the creative process and continues to inspire new directions.
For me, the creative process far outweighs the results; this is often why I layer and cover older paintings within new ones. In this way, the layers evolve into new versions—much like ourselves as we move through the portals of life.
This usually takes place in my home art space.
I've deemed this space my *play shop* - it fits.
I create paintings in all sizes, on various surfaces—from 2 x 2-inch canvases to 40 x 17-foot murals.
As mentioned, my materials constantly change. Some are traditional, while others are found, handmade, or unconventional—like encaustic molds, natural or alcohol inks, or lovely chunk of rust.
There is beauty in the obscure and overlooked.
This approach means I often stumble upon the unexpected—something I deeply enjoy.
Sometimes the subject matter inspires the materials; other times, the materials spark the imagery.
Through this interplay, each composition becomes a culmination of intuition, lived experience, and dreamy spaces
—occasionally seasoned with a dash of humor or slice of ambiguity.
This ongoing exploration keeps me inspired. I resist being limited by categories or labels because I see life itself as a series of unfolding portals—each one offering opportunities for reflection, creative reinvention, and personal growth.
This perspective has always guided my work, especially in recent years.
For years, I worked with my late husband, Zach, who was also an artist.
Together, we built EverBern, a joyful and collaborative chapter in our lives. You can read more about our work here.
After Zach passed away on August 14, 2023, I responded to this loss by embracing a passion project and creating a series out of an imaginary place called,
Camp Portalistic
- a project that grew from a place of grief, healing, and creative and self-discovery. Despite the challenges, I embrace the impermanence and fragility of life and its many changes - and adapt, create, and connect as much as I can
- and hope to help others do the same.
I welcome connections, collaborations, and new ideas, so please feel free to contact me.
Thank you for visiting and reading.
~Sharon