‌‏        Serena Bates "found her soul mate and companion" when she discovered clay, expanding her mediums to include bronze and stone. Bates describes herself as a story teller with an affinity for portraits and animals.  "Life’s stories plant seeds in my mind, take shape in my soul, and are born through my sculptures."

­       She relies on her sense of observation to interpret a subject. Trusting intuition and connecting to the subject are more important to her than static measurements. She feels her approach breathes life into her work, producing what she calls a “wabi-sabi” affect—the Japanese term that literally means the beauty found in imperfection or the “imperfectly perfect.”

­       Serena has exhibited in nationally known exhibitions and galleries across the United States and Canada. She has won many prestigious awards and honors during her career, from the American Artists Professional League, Allied Artists of America, the Salmagundi Club, the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Club, the Academic Artist Association, and Mystic Museum of Art to name a few.

­      She is a member of the American Society of Marine Artists, Artists for Conservation, Allied Artists of America, American Artists Professional League and Salmagundi Club and was one of the original members of ACGOW.