How Art Helped These Women Heal, Grow, and Find Their Voice | Hari Lualhati, Carrie, and Sara De Pasquale

This week on Women in Arts Network, we’re honoured to share the stories of three talented artists: Hari Lualhati, Carrie, and Sara De Pasquale. What do these artists from different corners of the world——have in common? Quite a lot, it turns out. In their own ways, each has taken the brave leap of using art not just as a tool of creation, but as a powerful form of reflection, healing, and connection.

Through these deeply personal conversations, we’ve been invited into their studios, their minds, and their hearts. Hari speaks of Soulworks—art as a mirror of the spirit, forged from lived experience and emotional truth. Carrie opens up about rediscovering painting after a ten-year hiatus, following a battle with cancer and the beautiful chaos of motherhood. And Sara reminds us how creativity can be a grounding force, especially when shaped by personal loss, memory, and resilience.

What have we learned? That art is often born from the spaces in between—between joy and pain, identity and transformation, the past and the future. These women show us that creating is never just about the final piece—it’s about the process, the growth, and the meaning stitched into every brushstroke, tear, and triumph.

Their journeys are varied, yet deeply intertwined by a shared courage to tell the truth through their work. Whether it’s through bold color, quiet reflection, or intricate storytelling, Hari, Carrie, and Sara remind us that art is a lifeline, a form of resistance, and an invitation to be more fully ourselves.

So, join us as we step into their stories—real, raw, and radiant—with all the vulnerability, strength, and wisdom that only women in the arts can offer.

The Transformative Journeys of Three Women in Art

Art isn’t always about paint on a canvas—it’s about what’s inside the artist that pours out into the world. And when you listen to artists like Hari Lualhati, Carrie, and Sara De Pasquale, you begin to realize that creativity isn’t just a practice—it’s survival, storytelling, and soul work all at once.

Each of these women has taken a different path to her artistic voice, but their stories meet at powerful crossroads: transformation, vulnerability, and an unshakeable belief in the healing power of art.

Lualhati, The Creator of Soulworks

Hari Lualhati doesn’t just make art—she creates what she calls “Soulworks.” These are not just paintings, but reflections of deep inner truths. Each piece is born out of her lived experiences, her revelations, and the quiet, profound moments that have shaped her life. Hari’s art speaks the language of the soul, with every stroke carrying a message of self-discovery, love, and authenticity.

“I realized I didn’t want to just paint something beautiful,” she shares. “I wanted to paint something true.”

Her journey is marked by a commitment to growth. Not just as an artist, but as a person. The wisdom in her work doesn’t come from theory—it comes from her own story, her own healing. Through her process, she not only transforms canvas but also herself, inviting viewers to do the same.

I prefer to refer to my art pieces as my “SOULWORKS” because to me, they transcend mere artworks; they are embodiments of my soul expressed through art, serving as a direct connection to my inner self and encapsulating values that are profoundly significant to me.

To learn more about Hari, click on the links below.

Artist Carrie Pearce on Creativity and having fun in the Studio

Carrie’s story is one of return—return to painting, to joy, and to the woman she always was beneath life’s challenges. After a decade-long hiatus filled with raising children and surviving an aggressive form of cancer, Carrie found her way back to her art.

She speaks openly about how cancer reshaped her perspective and her priorities. “It stripped away all the noise,” she explains. “What was left was a need to express—to paint—to process what I had been through.”

The symbol of the circle appears often in Carrie’s post-cancer work. It represents totality, wholeness, and the cyclical nature of life. Her paintings are bold and abstract, with vibrant colors that seem to pulse with energy. More recently, she has turned to fibre-based work, weaving together memory, trauma, and healing into sculptural forms.

For Carrie, painting is a form of remembering and rebuilding. “I don’t paint what I see,” she says. “I paint what I feel—what moves through me.”

The found object in the environment allows me to challenge the boundaries of figurative painting and portraiture. Utilizing the object to tell stories, which explore the depths of movement, layering and composition.

To learn more about Carrie, visit the links below.

Zurich Artist Sara De Pasquale on Her Creative Journey

Sara De Pasquale’s art lives at the intersection of emotion, memory, and transformation. Her practice is deeply personal—rooted in the complexities of her own journey through loss, change, and self-reclamation. Whether working with mixed media, natural pigments, or repurposed materials, Sara weaves stories of nostalgia, childhood, and the resilience of women—especially those in her own family.

“My grandmothers’ labor and love are in my blood,” she says. “I want my work to honor that.” A designer, architect, and artist, Sara blends her formal design background with raw, intuitive creativity. Her work often incorporates elements of Brazilian culture, reflecting her heritage while also exploring themes of displacement, identity, and belonging.

For Sara, creation is catharsis. Her “what if” mindset fuels experimentation, and her art is as much about the process as it is about the outcome. “There’s a point when you stop controlling and start listening—to the materials, the memories, the silence.”

My art is a fusion of personal experiences and cultural narratives, aiming to evoke emotional responses and foster connections among viewers. I strive to create pieces that not only engage visually but also resonate on a deeper, more personal level.

To learn more about Sara, click on the links below.

Though their media, techniques, and backgrounds differ, Hari, Carrie, and Sara are united by a core belief: that art can heal. It can hold space for what words can’t. It can reconnect us to our truth. And it can help us reimagine what’s possible, within ourselves and in the world around us.

In a world that often tries to quiet women’s voices, their work is a resounding “I am here.” Not just to be seen, but to be felt. These artists remind us that creation is a sacred act. It’s about being brave enough to tell your story, to dig into the mess, and to emerge with something honest and human. And in doing so, they don’t just make art they make meaning.

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