Before the gallery walls and the exhibition spotlights, Lisa Bayer’s journey into the world of art began in a first-grade classroom. A simple lesson about colors and scenes sparked a lifelong fascination with creating. Bayer remembers listening to her art teacher explain how colors interact, how different shades bring scenes to life, and how small details can transform an image. She felt inspired and she would return home eager to experiment, compare colors, and create her own interpretations of what she had learned. What began as a childhood curiosity gradually evolved into an artistic calling.
“I was really keen on art,” said Bayer. “It was my favorite class. I became a self-taught mixed-media artist and oil painter.”
Her imagination now moves beyond the boundaries of traditional photography and painting. For Broward County -based artist Lisa Bayer, the canvas is an opportunity to give shape to feelings that words sometimes struggle to capture.
“I do mixed media with photos,” said Bayer. “I’ve definitely changed over time, and even use Photoshop. It’s definitely evolved, and I’ve been in South Florida for 10 years. I’ve done at least 12 shows this year, and I usually do Art Basel every year.”
This December, Bayer will bring that imaginative world to Art Basel season by being at the event, Spectrum Miami 2026, one of the signature contemporary art exhibitions taking place during Miami Art Week. From December 2–6, collectors, art enthusiasts, curators, and visitors will have an opportunity to experience her work at Booth 1315 inside Mana Wynwood.
Her presentation, titled The Return to Self, features eight surreal mixed-media works from her collections Inner Landscapes and The Divine Feminine Rising. Together, the pieces explore memory, emotional experience, personal transformation, and the possibility of rediscovering the parts of ourselves that sometimes get lost along the way.
She primarily works with her own photography and begins constructing intricate visual environments in Photoshop. Then, she layers photographs, digitally paints and draws over imagery, and manipulates individual elements until the original photographic appearance begins to dissolve into something entirely new.
Occasionally, she incorporates stock photography to establish backgrounds or historical environments. She also uses artificial intelligence for specific fantasy elements that cannot be photographed in the natural world, such as mythical mermaid tails, integrating those details into her broader photographic compositions.
But the digital process is only part of the story.
Once a composition is printed onto canvas, Bayer returns to the physical artwork, individually hand-painting approximately 90 percent of its surface with acrylic. She strengthens details, develops texture, and brings certain elements forward, allowing the finished work to move beyond the boundaries of traditional photography or digital illustration.
The result is a hybrid artistic experience: part photography, part digital composition, and part traditional painting.
“I’ve been doing a lot of different exhibits,” said Bayer. “I even have something coming up in Pennsylvania, and other in Florida that are after Spectrum.”
Opening night takes place Wednesday, December 2, from 6–9 p.m., offering an opportunity for guests to discover her newest work during one of South Florida’s most anticipated weeks for art and culture.
“If someone is looking to get a piece of my art, they can get it on my website,” said Bayer. “Along with tickets to the Spectrum show.
For collectors, curious visitors, and anyone drawn to artwork that invites a second look, Bayer’s presentation offers an opportunity to step into a world where photography becomes something more imaginative, and where the most extraordinary images can begin with something deeply personal.
After all, the most memorable artwork doesn’t always show us something we’ve never seen before. Sometimes, it helps us recognize something we’ve felt all along.
“I’m seeing more people support it [the local art scene] in South Florida,” said Bayer. “More people interested in art, more galleries, curators, and overall, involvement.”
Decades later, the little girl who once returned home eager to experiment with colors and recreate the scenes that captured her imagination is still creating, only now her canvas has grown considerably larger.
Discover Lisa Bayer’s work: lisabayer-art.com
Spectrum Miami 2026
- Dates: December 2–6, 2026
- Booth: 1315
- Location: Mana Wynwood, 2217 NW 5th Avenue, Miami, Florida
- Opening night: Wednesday, December 2, 6–9 p.m.
- Featured presentation: The Return to Self
**This article was originally written by Nile Fortner for OurSouthFlorida.com**