About Her Work

Excerpts from an article published by Tagree Magazine:

Turning the Page, 2022

Sara Harley has been described as a Photographic Expressionist. She enjoys the freedom and individualism of creating conceptual art, painterly images that are based in the reality of her own photography, but developed from her imagination. Because she uses her own photography together with her creativity, her composited images are uniquely her own. Sometimes surreal, frequently using her love of nature, her images are open to the viewer's interpretation.

Resilience, 2021

At first glance, Harley's images seem straight forward, but on closer inspection an element of illusion can be found. Her photographic collages often illustrate the dichotomy of life. She encourages viewers to spend time with her creations, looking deeper develop their own story and conclusions about the images.

The Reading Room, 2022

 

After Harley received a cancer diagnosis in 2010, she adopted trees as her symbol of strength and often includes them in her process. Birds are another recurring character in her images. Release, freedom, escape, renewal, and hope are themes illustrated by the birds in her composites. It is a rare exception for her to use people in her images. Instead she uses nature to portray characteristics and emotions...to give life to her visual stories.

No Place Like Home, 2022

 

Abandoned homes are the subject matter for many photographers, including Harley. The sense of time and history embodied in an older structure immediately starts a story. There is a sense of sadness, of wistfulness for things that might have been, an interesting base for the narrative the viewers wish to create. The country churches used in some of her images elicit contradictory thoughts of joyful celebrations, overwhelming grief, and everything in between.

Forgotten, 2021

 

The colour palette in Harley's current images embody a richness not found in her earlier work. The soft glow of evening light is the time for secrets and dreams. Imaginations can run wild and all things seem possible. Moonlight and star shine illuminate our intimate thoughts. Nothing seems unattainable, everything within reach.

The Dreamer, 2021

 

Wide expanses are another favourite of Harley, as they evoke varying emotions depending on the viewer. Whether it's an open field, a stretch of beach, or a solitary home, they may give a sense of freedom and release from constraint, or perhaps a feeling of isolation and despair. Again, it is up to the viewer to decide.

Refuge, 2022

 

Harley's poetic images tell a narrative of contradictions. A sense of hope in a decaying setting, of choice in a backdrop of despair, of wonder in a magical setting, all encourage the viewer to weave their own story.

New Beginnings, 2022