Sage was lucky at a young age that her father, sculptor Chris Barela, allowed her into his studio while he was working. There would be torches blowing high heat on bronzes and guys sanding on metal and there would be Sage with bare feet, keeping a watchful eye on her dad.

Sage always paid close attention to whatever her father was doing.  They would surf, fish and ride motorcycles together, also.  There really wasn’t anything Sage wasn’t going to do. . . if her dad and brother were doing it, she was too!

Sage was born in Southern California and spent her first eight years in Malibu.  The family home hosted artists from around the world.  There was always some big project going through her dad’s studio and when there wasn’t, it was fun time.  The Barela family home and art studio sat on eight acres in the hills of Malibu.  When work wasn’t being done, there was lots of surfing & fishing.  The family grew most of the veggies and fished for food.

With her father’s art sales thriving in Hawaii, the Barela family moved to the Big Island of Hawaii in 2003.  Sage was eight years old.  Living in the small community of Puako, Sage became connected to the turtles and sea life.  She attended public school, paddled competitively with the Waikola Canoe Club, and played tennis and softball for Kealakehe High School.  All four years Sage included culinary into her curriculum and graduated in 2013. After high school, Sage attended UH Palamanui, is a member of Phi Theta Kappa & received an Associate in Science Nursing Degree. Sage is currently working as a RN at Hale Hoʻola Hamakua, a rural hospital on the Island of Hawaii. She continues to assist her father with sculpture projects & is heavily involved with the familyʻs non profit A Little Green, promoting ocean awareness through art, education & conservation.