All her life, Buffalo native Sharon Hayek (formerly Sharon Weigand) had two loves – art and music. If she wasn’t playing the piano or guitar, she was in front of her easel or had her head buried in a sketchbook. Although she was an art major at Villa Maria High School and planned to become a graphic designer, her other love – music – pulled her away from that career goal after college. She left the Buffalo area to become a full-time singer and musician, touring the country and performing in venues up and down the East Coast. Over the next ten years, she did extensive studio work for other musicians in Western New York and eventually released a solo CD of original pop music. While successful in the music industry, she constantly had an uneasy feeling of not truly belonging in that field. She eventually reached the decision to "retire" from music, and in the fall of 1999, she and her band performed in public for the last time.

But she was not to remain idle for long. She married John Hayek in May of 2000, and during the summer that followed, he encouraged her to get her art supplies out of storage and to begin painting once more. Inspired by the works of Thomas Cole, Albert Bierstadt, and Martin Johnson Heade, she initially worked strictly in oils and painted only landscapes. Those pieces gained her entry into several juried shows, including the Allentown Art Festival and the Letchworth Arts & Crafts Show, where she sold numerous original paintings and prints.

Moving forward, Sharon began experimenting with pastel, a medium that she had dabbled in during her high school art courses. She also started incorporating her deep love of animals into her paintings. Her body of work expanded to include horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, and a variety of wildlife, which immediately gained popularity with animal lovers. Sharon added more art shows and festivals to her schedule, such as the Charles Burchfield Center’s "Art in the Park" and the Springville Festival of Fine Art, where her "Arabian Stallion" pastel won an award for First Place in Two Dimensional Artwork.

Sharon continues to develop her skills and to participate in more shows and festivals each year. In this fast-paced age, her tranquil landscapes are intended to calm and soothe the viewer – to transport them to a more serene place. Visitors to her shows have often commented on feeling as though they could "jump right into the picture". Her landscapes and portraits (both human and animal) hang in many homes and businesses across the country and in the United Kingdom. She has donated pieces to various charities, most recently the Silent Auction for the Wyoming County Arts Council. She is an ASPCA Guardian member. Her home is shared by one cat and three rabbits who love to watch her paint.