Becky Hendrick - "The Wild Rose" - La Union, NM

During her forty-plus year "art life," Becky Hendrick has worked in many media and genres including painting, multi-media constructions, participatory installations, and performance art. She received her BFA in painting from Newcomb College of Tulane University in 1969 and the MFA from the Instituto Allende in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, in 1978. She has taught studio and lecture classes in five college art programs, and is currently on the faculty at University of Texas at El Paso where she teaches Whole Arts, a course integrating visual art, dance, music, and theater. Her work is in numerous private, corporate, and museum collections, including the El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso Holocaust Museum, New Mexico State University, Meridian Museum of Art, and the Mississippi museum of Art. Hendrick is the author of Getting It: A Guide to Understanding and Appreciating Art (Houghton Mifflin Company), About and Through the Arts: Lessons and Activities for Creating Teaching and Learning (Kendall Hunt Publishers), and ____ 's Book of Beliefs, available online from iUniverse.com. For over twenty years she has been a frequent contributor of arts criticism to regional and national arts periodicals, most recently Artlies, published in Houston. She received an award for arts criticism from the Kansas City Arts Alliance in 1986. In addition to her art, teaching, and writing, Becky Hendrick serves as host of the Border Art Residency, founded by her husband, sculptor Willie Ray Parish, on their property in rural La Union, New Mexico. She and Parish divide their time between El Paso/La Union and Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico.

Willie Ray Parish - "Untitled" - La Union, NM

Willie Ray Parish was born in Tupelo, Mississippi and has been an artist and a sculptor for over 40 years. Recently showing at Baylor University's Martin Museum of Art, and "Earthbound, The State of Sculpture in Texas" at the Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi and the Midland Texas Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition. Recently installed a $55,000 commission for the city of El Paso, Texas involving five sculptures in a city Sculpture park. His work have been shown from coast to coast. Parish is the Sculpture professor at the University of Texas at El Paso. He is the founder and director of the Border Art Residency in La Union, New Mexico. He lives in La Union, New Mexico and Puerto Peñasco, Mexico with his wife and artist and writer Becky Hendrick.

Robert Dozal - "Dos Culturas Unidas" - El Paso, TX

Robert has been donating painted hearts to AVANCE almost every year since the inception of Toma Mi Corazon 10 years ago. A Former winner of El Paso Scene's " Heart of El Paso Award" he loves the challenge of creating clever works that relate well to the heart shape and depict the beauty of El Paso area, especially the people. Each of Robert's corazones is done in a variety of techniques including pointillism, thick impasto's and tiny, hair -like lines like the ones used in egg-tempera paintings. Though the method may be stunning, it is the images and the feeling that are more impressive. Robert participates in local, regional and national shows and has won the Esther Wells Collection award at the National Watercolor Society's Annual Exhibition.

Roy Van der Aa - "Untitled" - Las Cruces, NM

Born in Holland, Roy Van der Aa grew up in Montreal, Canada. He studied art as a teen under Dutch impressionist Gerard van Dykhof in the seventies. His formal education includes 2 years of Fine Art specialty in John Abbott College, and 4 years at Concordia University. He had his first One Man Show in 1978. In 1981, he founded Zones, a cooperative fine arts studio and exhibition space which operated untill he emigrated to the U.S. in 1989. He is a founding member of Artforms and has exhibited with the group since its inception in 1995. He has shown in group exhibits at Galerie Alegre in 2003, the Border Artists and Friends Show in 2004 and exhibits with artists who are members of The Society of Layerists in Multi-Media. Van der Aa has had solo shows at the Tombaugh Gallery in 2004, Oasis 7 in 2005 and Laughing at the Sun and the Visitors and Convention Bureau in 2006. He participated in "Choreographed Militancy." a two person show at the Corbett Center in 2007 where he featured 21 works. He was included in "The Man Show" at D. Rothermel Fine Art for Artshop in 2008. His latest solo show was "It'll put your Eye Out" at the Unsettled Gallery in 2009. He was featured at In Effect gallery where he was a gallery artist from 2008-09. Van der Aa is a multi-media collage artist.

Diana de la Torre - "Dandelion of Innocence" El Paso, TX

Diana de la Torre was born in East Los Angeles and grew up in Socorro. Her love of drawing has been never ending since she was four years old. She is a proud military wife and mother of one. She has a degree in Graphic Design from Southwest College in San Diego, and she manages a full-time job while also working part-time as freelance graphic designer. Diana enjoys donating her time and talent to non-profits. Her son is her current inspiration. The innocence and wonderment of discovery that her son holds is what fascinates her the most, and she tries to convey it through her artwork. This is the second year she has participated in the Toma Mi Corazon event.

Julie Caffee-Cruz - "Playing Dress Up" - El Paso, TX

Julie Caffee-Cruz is an artist, illustrator and educator. She cant remember a time when she wasn't drawing or painting. Art and the love for pencil drawing became a part of her life. She found herself drawing everything; paying close attention to the tiny details that many artists prefer to leave out. Her accomplishments in art mature as the years progressed, but at the age 14, she was hit with traumatic news. She was diagnosed with juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, a crippling disease. "I didn't realize what it could do to me ," she exclaimed. "I didn't stop. I had too far to go, so I just kept on pursuing my art career." Out of sheer perseveranc,e never letting her crippled hands hinder her work, Julie pressed on with her artistic desire through high school and college, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from West Texas State University in 1985. Julie has done commissioned artwork for many years. Her favorite medium is pencil, but enjoys the challenge of watercolor painting. She has recently begun experimenting with colored pencils. Her favorite subjects are people, although she has used a broad range of subject matter. Her clients include Patti Page, well-know singer and television star from the 1950's. Julie drew original artwork for Page's Christmas cards for 5 consecutive years. She has also done pen and ink illustrations for signage in the U.S. Forest Service's Cimarron and Comanche National
Grasslands. In addition, Julie has illustrated six children's books for Author Herb Marlow. Julie has clients from all over the United States and as far away as Oman and Germany. Julie is also an art educator. She has taught junior and high school art classes, as well as college level art courses. She is currently teaching art classes part-time for El Paso Community College's Senior Adult Program. Pencil in hand, drawing portraits of colorful people has kept her excited about the world of art waiting to be created. Julie was raised in Southwest Kansas, where she has become one of the most respected artists of the area. In 2001, she became a military wife. Her husband, Ed is Active Duty Army, and the family moved to El Paso/Fort Bliss in January of 2004. After arriving in El Paso, Caffee-Cruz became a member of El Paso Art Association and Rio Bravo watercolorists, both of which she is still a member. Her accomplishments include winning the Blue Ribbon Award at the 2010 Sun Bowl Art Exhibit sponsored by the International Museum of Art. She also was awarded Best of Show at EPAA's Colors of Spring Art Show in 2006 and in 2009 won Best of Show at the Arts International Show, and she won the Bill Kolliker Memorial Award in 2006. In 2007, Julie won the Windsor-Newton Watercolor award at EPAA's Colors of Spring Show. She has won many other awards since entering her first show in 1992.

Alberto Escamilla - "Untitled" - Sanderson, TX

Alberto Escamilla was born in Sanderson, TX. Escamilla's early interest in art began with drawing comic book characters. Upon coming to Texas Western College (UTEP) on an athletic scholarship, he soon learned that art was also offered in their curriculum. He soon knew he wanted to pursue a degree in the Fine Arts, and thus began his life's passion. His early works consisted of western and southwest scenes, which captured mostly earth tone colors. This type of work was not fulfilling, so he began to study in depth the works and lives of former artists. The more he read and studied the work of the "Independents", he felt a strong connection with the way they believed and painted. He continuously worked on mastering the blending of colors, brush strokes and subject matter to achieve an effect that gave the viewer a sense of beauty and tranquility. Hence, Escamilla's work entered a new dimension which strongly shows a continuation of those great painters known as the "Independents."

Susan Amstater Schwartz - "Love for The Desert" - El Paso, TX

Susan Amstater is a native to this mercurial land of the Southwest and is physically at one with it. She combines elements of baroque, romantic, impressionist and expressionist movements. She speaks in the language of nature which she knows by extracting patterns that allow us to recall our own encounters with place. It is the incredible, intense light of the Western land that allows her mind and palette to expand into ever extending horizons. The transience of light fully informs the language of Amstater's art. Her images are timeless. Amstater's works are about potential, growth and exploration, not only the land, but of the self and the poetry of our life. Her art has appeared in exhibitions throughout the United States and is included in many corporate, private and museum collections. She has appeared in The Artist's Magazine, Southwest Art Magazine and The Best of Watercolor 2. Her painting "Rio Grande Valley Farmlands" was selected for the 1999 Santa Fe Opera poster which was founded by grants from the National Endowment For The Arts and New Mexico Arts.

Berenice Perea - "Life" and "Corazon de Melon"- Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua

Berenice Perea was born in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. She has been drawing and painting since she was a child and remembers hanging her pieces all over her parents' house for holidays like Christmas or Valentine's Day. Most of her pieces are made with colored pencil, although for the "Toma Mi Corazon" auction, she likes to be "adventurous" and experiments with other media like acrylic, and watercolor. She has donated pieces for Toma Mi Corazon and to the "Chilitos" auction, held by the El Paso Hospice, where she won a Honor Mention. Berenice's other passion is wildlife, which is one of her favorite subjects. This year, Berenice had three pieces selected to participate at the Something Different exhibit organized by the International Museum of Art. Also this year, a piece from Berenice's collection was selected to participate at the annual Sun Bowl Art exhibit, the largest event held by the International Museum of Art, where she won first prize, the "Best of Show" award. The exhibition will be held there from November 5th until January 4, 2011

Mia Ortiz - "Local Native" - El Paso, TX

Mia Ortiz, 24 years old, was born and raised in El Paso, TX . She graduated from Belhaven University in Jackson, MS with a BFA in Studio Drawing. After interning in New York with artists Steven and William Ladd, she is now back at home currently working for Project AIM at Providence hospital for Creative Kids as an art instructor. Mia intends to go to grad school for art therapy sometime in the near future. Having recognized the distinctions that affect our approach to art making, she has seen firsthand how it affects others in finding a purpose and greater appreciation for art. In her growth and development, studying many of the greatest ancestors within the art has shown how art has developed and changed over time and still to this day continues forward with a wider diversity of brilliant people who have a passion and soul for art. The art she makes is therapeutic is not meant to be coded. By working with others, Mia hopes to enhance many lives through art.

Lisa Matta - Brown - "The Franklin Mountains El Paso Colors" - Santa Teresa, NM

Lisa presently lives in Santa Teresa, NM where she have come to love the city, the people, and especially her wonderful artist friends. although she's been an artist her whole life it has been here during the last several years that she has been able to devote herself full time to her passion of creating her art trough paint. She has had the wonderful opportunity to travel to several places in the world and to learn and reflect on the beautiful art work of many of the Masters of which all have contributed to her style of work. she was born and raised in the town of Mesa, AZ just east of the City of Phoenix. As long as she can remember she has always loved to sketch, draw and paint. The real first art class that she took of which she can remember was at the age of twelve when her mother enrolled her in art classes after believing that she had talent in painting and the potential of growing and becoming better at it. In growing up, going to school, and helping her parents in their restaurant business she wasn't able to devote the time she would have liked to advance her knowledge and skills in the art world. She knew that at sometime in her life there would come a time of which she would be able to pursue her passion of painting and to create work that have been in her mind and heart many years. Shortly after her move to El Paso area several years ago from home town of Mesa, AZ her husband called her as he was crossing over the Rio Grande River and informed her that there was a group of Artist on the Banks of the Rio Grande with their easels and paint brushes. She threw her paints, easels and all her other gear into her car and drove down to the river to find out who these artists were. There she meet several members of the El Paso Plein - Air group of which all were wonderful, made her feel welcome of which shortly after she joined their group. It was from this most fortunate event in her life that she been able to meet wonderful people that have helped her so much in her dedication pursuit of becoming a better and more proficient artist.

Rhonda Doré - "Lantern Secrets" - El Paso, TX

Rhonda Doré lives in El Paso, Texas, where she finds many of her collage materials. "Often my work becomes a travelogue of papers that cross my path. I am especially drawn to papers that are old, discarded and papers from our border region. Many of the pieces in my work are papers of transitory worth. Labels, tags, wrappers, checks, money, and flyer's - papers that ultimately are spent or thrown away - especially appeal to me. Each of us unwittingly leaves a map of our life behind with the papers we discard. I like to think of each of my pieces as small, aerial views of lives."

Rhonda Doré specializes in abstract collage and painting. Her work is in private collections in the United States, England and Scotland. She has been an award winner in the National Collage Society's annual juried exhibit, and has shown her work in exhibitions nationally and in the Southwest. New Mexico's Blue Dome Gallery represents her work.

Santiago J. Gonzalez - "Picnic by the Rio Grande" - El Paso, TX

This will be the fourth year Santiago J. Gonzalez has donated his artist talent to one of his many worthy cause. This year will be his first enlarged heart submitted. The title for this year is an oil painting "Picnic by the Rio Grande". A self taught artist who remembers drawing during elementary school and being scold for not completing and turning in classroom assignments. He has donated his many art works for auction to the Lutheran Adult Social Service, West Texas Food Bank, Teen Challenge, Centro de Agricultura de los Trabajadores Agricolas, and most recently to the St. Stephens Cross Arts Auction. Raised in South El Paso and a graduate from Bowie High School he decided to give back to his Segundo Barrio community. In 1981 in celebration of the Four Centuries Celebration he painted the "Paso Del Norte" mural inside the Senior Citizen Center in South El Paso. The 10x20 mural depicts a Conquistador and Spaniard Friar overlook the Rio Grande with the Franklin Mountains in the background. He specializes in still life, landscaping in oils and pastels. His a member of the El Paso Art Association and enjoys painting on Sundays while listening to oldies but goodies.

Michele Ellington – “2 Tickets 2 Paradise” – El Paso, TX

Michele Ellington has once again agreed to donate her time for the AVANCE Heart Auction. An employee of the City of El Paso, Michele donated her piece "2 Tickets 2 Paradise", which is reflective of her recent trip to Australia. One side features a photograph taken during her September trip, and the opposite side features a painted rendition of the butterfly.

Gabriela Jimenez – “Rest Your Heart Sofa” – Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua

Gabriela Jimenez a Juarez resident was born in the city of Chihuahua, she has been drawing since she was a child, but has pursued a more formal approach to the arts until recent years. She is mainly self taught and started working with oil media around 2003. She studied one semester pastel drawing at IADA (UACJ) in 2006 and then started experimenting by herself with watercolor in 2008. Her favorite subjects are cartoons from her own creation and Chihuahuan desert landscapes. She received a honorific award during her participating on "Premio Chihuahua" in 2009. She is a member of El Paso Art Association. She has participated on exhibits at Hal Marcus Gallery and participated recently at El Paso Arts International exhibit. Through her work she likes to share a sense of happiness and tranquility.

Sharon Stillwater – “Take My Hand, Take My Heart” – Rociada, NM

Sharon M. Stillwater is inspired by the rich kaleidoscope of the human psyche and by its mirror in nature and wilderness. She sees the borders which separate us from our deeper psyche, from the wild universe of which we are a part, and from each other, as being illusory and isolating. She strive to cross these borders and weave the parts back into wholeness.

Hector Bernal – “Girl with a Veil” – El Paso, TX

Hector Bernal was born in Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua and has lived in El Paso since 1959. He attended Aoy Elementary and Graduated from Bowie High School in 1968. He worked as an illustrator in retail advertising in the Popular and the White House department stores. But painting has always been his passion. He has received many awards and recognition for his work. He works fulltime as a painter here in El Paso. His work has been sold to local collectors as well as art collectors in Europe, New York, Houston and Dallas. In 2007 Mr. Bernal was selected to represent The Chamizal National Memorial in Washington DC. with one of his works. What he created was beautiful and was well received in Washington. Mr. Bernal traveled by special invitation to the The White House to take part in a special reception hosted by former first lady Laura Bush to honor contributing artists.

Hector Bernal – “Boy with White Dove” – El Paso, TX

Steve Salazar - "Come Together, Join the Party" - El Paso, TX

Born in the late 60s, and raised in the 70s, how can one not be influenced by the colorful Pop Culture of this era. Steve Salazar, a UTEP graduate, is an accomplished artist, muralist, and art educator at Bowie High School.

As a Chicano artist, Salazar describes his art style as "Chicano-Sur-Pop-Adelic," a marriage of major art movements that have influenced his work.

"Chicano Art game me the themes for my pieces, which range from social, political, to religion. Surrealism gave me the drive to put familiar images of subconscious down on canvas and interpret the meanings for me. Pop Art gave me the characters by using Mexican - American - Chicano icons to be my voice, and Psychedelic Art gave me the palette of bright colors which have been embedded in my mind since an early age." - Steve Salazar

Rob Mack - "Culture/Commitment/Community" - El Paso, TX

Rob Mack was born in Stuttgart, Germany and moved to El Paso when he was five years old. He has been an El Paso resident ever since. He is a graduate of Irvin High School and spent six years in the US Army. He currently works at Western Refining during the day, and paints at night. Rob has been an avid lover of art since he was a small child and entered many art contests as a young boy. Over the years, he has devoted his spare time to wood carving and painting and has sold many carvings at local art shows. He is currently working mostly in acrylics and is excited to offer this colorful piece of art for auction.

Tim Gallegly - "Mother's Love" - El Paso, TX

Tim Gallegly was born in Amarillo, Texas. He received a degree in fine arts from Texas Tech University in 1972. After college, Tim moved to Albuquerque where he worked as a commercial artist and then owned an advertising agency. Since the 1980s, he and his wife, Patty, have lived in El Paso where he serves as president of the Guynes Printing Company.

Mr. Gallegly is a member of the El Paso Artists' Hall of Fame, inducted in 2005. This is Tim's first year being involved with the Toma Mi Corazon event, but it is not the first time he has donated his time and talent to nonprofits.

Ramon Valenzuela - "Single Bird, Single Flower" - El Paso, TX

Ramon Valenzuela, El Paso artist and cartoonist, just stopped by to leave his piece of "heart" entitled "Single Bird, Single Flower". Anyone who loves nature and the beauty it possesses will enjoy this piece.

Socorro Munoz - "Wine and Roses" and "My Home Sweet Home" - El Paso, TX

Socorro Munoz has exhibited her paintings throughout El Paso as well as Southern and Northern New Mexico. Her themes shift from landscapes and portraits to Mexican retablos, still life, abstracts and more. Her techniques vary from oil, acrylics, pastels, watercolors and egg tempera in traditional and modern styles.

Sarah Wood - "Great Expectations" - El Paso, TX

Sarah Wood is an El Paso artist and new to the AVANCE Toma Mi Corazon Heart Auction. Her painting, "Great Expectations" shows a loving couple expecting a baby. It is important to remember why the Toma Mi Corazon heart auction takes place: to break the cycle of poverty for El Paso families, both the parents and children from birth to 4 years old.

Holly Cox - "Summer" - El Paso, TX

Third generation El Paso artist, Holly Cox, is the daughter of painter and muralist, Eugene Thurston and his wife Anna Lind Thurston. Her grandmother, Fern Thurston, was also a Texas artist. Holly is a graduate of Texas Western College, now the University of Texas at El Paso. Her piece, "Summer", features beautiful butterflies, which often can symbolize our AVANCE participants. Once they join the program, they often spread their wings and fly due to the knowledge and education obtained through the program.

Shannon Stull & Jeremy Carrus - "Natulius" & "Tree" - Orlando, FL

Shannon Stull and Jeremy Carrus are advertising Creative Directors by day and contemporary artists by night. Based in Orlando, FL the two collaborators work in just about every medium, from painting to sculpture, and film to graphic art. Their works have been featured in Tampa, Orlando and Paris art shows this year, and they are honored to be a part of the Toma Mi Corazon art auction in El Paso.

For Shannon, exhibiting in Texas is a return home. She graduated from Coronado High School in the year 2000, and the University of Texas at Austin in 2004. Her experiences in both places influence her work, and she also draws inspiration from Tim Burton films, vintage poster art, and graphic artist Stefan Sagmeister.

Jeremy was born in Japan, and his art is heavily influenced by cartoons he watched there as a child. Jeremy also admires the work of digital artist Joshua David, and film maker Hillman Curtis.

Though Shannon and Jeremy's artistic styles differ, they chose to design hearts that symbolize the core mission of AVANCE. Shannon's piece, "Nautilus", serves as a symbol of personal growth. As a Nautilus shell grows into increasily larger chambers throughout its lifetime, it exhibits expansion and renewal. Jeremy's piece, "Tree", represents us all, as we too develop roots, strengthen, and branch out as we grow.

Hal Marcus - "Golden Heart Strings" - El Paso, TX

Hal Marcus was born in 1951 in El Paso, Texas. His interest in painting began in high school and developed into a life-long passion of the arts. His sense of color originated from the influences of Mexico where as a child he accompanied his grandmother on weekly visits to the Juarez market.

His early paintings were colorful expressions of a cubistic world of shapes within shapes. His art started to reflect the environment in which he lived. The people, streets and mountains began to show up in his works of art, and made people proud of their community along the border. Marcus began to publish cards, posters and calendars which he sold door-to-door. These works became cultural icons for the community.

Many of his best known works express local and global themes derived from his experiences. Hal Marcus' self-taught folk-art style has become main stream in the isolated art community along the Rio Grande.

His entrepreneurial pursuits have led him to collaborate with hundreds of institutions creating images for worthy causes. Marcus has been the recipient of many honors including being inducted into the El Paso Artists Hall of Fame and serving on the Advisory Board of the El Paso Museum of Art.

His works are found in numerous public, private and corporate collections throughout the world.

Francisco Romero - "La Oracion (The Prayer)" - El Paso, TX

Francisco Romero was born in 1958 in Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. At the early age of 6, he started drawing cartoon magazines that were on display in the newspaper stands in the streets of Juarez. Painting and music was an integral part of his everyday life throughout his school years.

Francisco graduated from the University of Juarez achieving a degree in interior and graphic design. Immigrating to the United States made a very significant change in his life because he has been able to exhibit his work and mature as an artist in his own right. Many people know Francisco Romero through artwork and subsequent, prints graciously created for numerous nonprofit organizations.

His use of color is vibrant and aggressive. He has been inspired by the works of Fernando Botero and Diego Rivera. His themes frequently protray numerous social situtations reflecting his love for Mexico. His subjects reflect his experiences with family, friends and his early years in Mexico.

Francisco Romero is well known throughout the El Paso, Juarez, Las Cruces area. He has had successful exhibits throughout the region. His works of art are included in local, regional, national, and international collections.

Tomi LaPierre - "The Magic of Words" - Las Cruces, NM

Tomi LaPierre is a sculpture from Las Cruces, New Mexico. Below you can find a few words from her about her work:

"Sculpture is my primary art expression. My background is technical in nature and over the years has turned to the human form. Most of my work is of people with great body language and expression, or an abstract of the same. I am qualified in Forensic Facial Reconstruction and find the human face and form the most extensive pallet imaginable."

Nicholas Munoz - "Spring Love" - El Paso

Nicholas Munoz is back and better than ever. His heart, "Spring Love" is the perfect addition to our Toma Mi Corazon Heart Auction. A UTEP graduate, Nicholas currently works at the El Paso Museum of Art. Come out to the event and see his beautiful piece firsthand.

Judy Bess - "After the Rain" - Las Cruces, NM

Why do I paint? I want the paint tubes in my artist box to spill out on the canvas and let the viewer see and feel my joy in attempting to capture the stunning beauty of the Southwest! I love to work with acrylics because the colors are so rich, and their quick-drying capability lets me work spontaneously -- whether it is to show a dramatic cloud pattern, a glorious mountain sunset, or the swirling skirts of a folklorico dancer. I have been told I am a "colorist" and I believe that is true. This region of the country has such bold colors - why not boldly celebrate them?!

After retiring from a 34-year career spent in the education and corporate worlds, and moving to New Mexico, I returned to my first love: painting. I could hardly wait to get started. But I wanted to prepare myself, because over the years spent in business, I had done only a few artistic activities, which include illustrating a child's book and doing program covers for civic organizations. I took seminars from two prominent local artists, learning new brushwork techniques and how to handle the acrylic medium. When I see the beauty of the mountains, experience the desert wildflowers after a rain, or enjoy a fiesta, I am reminded that everywhere one looks in the borderland, there is a painting ready to create. What a bounty for artists!

I am delighted to have been juried into two galleries, and am thrilled to know that my work is in numerous private collection in the US and Europe. I paint for my own enjoyment and satisfaction, but there is nothing like knowing that others like my work well enough to bring it into their homes and their lives. This is the true gift an artist receives from their clients!

--Judy Bess

Barbara McLain - "Doing the Kitty Twist" - El Paso, TX

This is Barbara McLain's first time participating in our event, and we could not be happier to have her on board. Her piece, "Doing the Kitty Twist", is a whimsical and bright piece that would be perfect for someone who loves beautiful flowers or for an avid cat lover.

Charlie Mayer - "La Familia" - El Paso

Charlie Mayer, El Paso photographer, has once again agreed to participate in our upcoming 10th Annual Toma Mi Corazon Heart Auction. We are so excited to have him, and a number of other returning artists, participate in our big event. Charlie's heart, "La Familia", captures the life and happiness of a number of families, and hopefully will catch you heart.

Amado Pena - "Mestizo Series: Los Novios" - Sante Fe, NM

Canyon de Chelley, Monument Valley, Spider Rock, Enchanted Mesa, Acoma, Black Mesathese are names that evoke an aura of mystery and hint at the birth of legends. These sites are part of an enduring, rugged landscape that speaks of the ancient heritage of a region known as Arizona and New Mexico. This land, the pwople who live there and their native crafts, are the threads in a rich cultural tapestry that is the inspiration for the works of Amado M. Pena, Jr. Using this trilogy and imagery, Pena studies the interrelation and integration of these entities, giving each equal importance. Pena, a mestizo of Mexican and Yaqui ancestry, celebrates the strength of a people who meet the harsh realities of life in an uncompromising land and his work is a tribute to these Native Americans who survive by living in harmony with an adversarial, intamed environment.

Using bold color, form and the dynamics of composition, Pena communicates his vision of a land, a people, and their art. He is a prolific artist with restless, creative energy that keeps him at work in his studios in Santa Fe and Austin. The drama of his paintings is heightened by an intensity of hue and unexpected spatial relationships.

Although his admirers come from different cultures and traditions, from all ages and parts of the world, the strength of his vision crosses such boundaries and speaks to them of hope, endurance and the unconquerable dignity of man. These are the qualities that are etched into the faces of Amado Pena's art.

Bob Adams - "Big Heart Motors" - El Paso, TX

Primarily self-taught, Bob Adams is an active member of the Plein Aire Painters of El Paso. He states that the more he paints and the more he challendes himself, the more his work improves. "It is important that wherever you paint, you need to paint as often as possible in order to grow as an artist."

Collectors of Adams' work are especially intrigued by his diversity of subject matter and medium. He is most comfortable working in acrylics, but he has also mastered watercolor, oils and pastel.

Adams' works are in private collections in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, New York, Florida, Minnesota, Wisconsin, California, Kansas and Chihuahua, Mexico.

Maria Branch - "Sweet Apples" - El Paso, TX

Maria Branch, El Paso oil painter, has once again agreed to join us. The owner of Maria Branch Studio and Gallery in San Elizario, Texas, Maria has submitted a piece entitled "Sweet Apples."

Candy Mayer - "Bienvenidos" - El Paso, TX

Candy Mayer is a full time artist, using many media. Her greatest love is drawing in any medium. "There is nothing more beautiful than an expressive, fluid line on a piece of paper." Her love of detail and color adds life to her drawings, pastels and paintings.

Candy began her career at an early age and earned a BFA in Art and Art Education at the University of South Dakota. Before settling in El Paso in 1999, she was the sole proprietor of her own business for twenty years, specializing in decorative arts and crafts.

Since moving to the border from Iowa, Candy has been inspired by the history and culture of the area, using the colors and the light that the desert and the surrounding mountains are famous for throughout the art world. Many of her works originate from trips to Mexico and other locales taken with her photographer husband, Charlie.

In addition to her work in the studio, Candy is a member of the Plein Air Painters of El Paso and paints regularly outdoors at many sites in the area. Three of her works traveled to the Department of the Interior Gallery in Washington, DC as part of a larger plein air show. She is active in the El Paso Art Association and the Pastel Society of El Paso.

Candy has exhibited and won recognition in shows and competitions including the Sierra Providence Arts International Show, the Sun Bowl Show, the Paquime Festival in Casas Grandes, MX and many El Paso Art Association events. She participated in an international show, "Mujeres sin Fronteras/Women without Borders" sponsored by the Mexican Consulate in El Paso.

Candy was inducted into the Spirit Lake School's Hall of Achievement as the Outstanding Graduate of 2008 for her hometown in Iowa on October 5, 2008.

Joyce Cunningham - "Serenity" - El Paso, TX

Joyce Cunningham is originally from Minnesota, but now calls El Paso home. Her works of art are mainly acrylic and watercolors. Joyce's inspiration comes from nature.

Lyuba Titovets - "El Paso Dance" - El Paso, TX

Lyuba Titovets was born and educated in St. Petersburg, Russia, receiving her Masters of Fine Arts from St. Petersburg State University. She began her art studies at five years of age, and has worked as a professional artist more than 20 years. While in St. Petersburg, she taught art, illustrated books and was chief designer of stage and costumes for Theatre Mask. Her final position in Russia was as an art historian for the newly established Department of the History of Culture at St. Petersburg State University.

She has had fourteen solo exhibitions in America and many more in concert with her Siberian-born husband, Aleksander Titovets. Since immigrating to the United States, she has won many prestigious awards including Best in Show in the International Miniature Show in Clearwater, Florida; Best in Show at the International Sierra Medical Competition; the Dellman Creative Award at the Annual National Oil Painters of America; and Best in Show in the historic "Year 2000" Sun Bowl Competition.

Her works have been exhibited at Westminster Abby in London, and her paintings have been chosen to represent the United States in a traveling exhibition through American Consulates worldwide. She is an annual guest artist at the Great American Artists Exhibition in Cincinnati, and her name is included in the Archives of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC.

The unique and lyrical works of Lyuba Titovets may be found in public and private collections in the US, Canada, Mexico, England, Israel, France, Finland and Russia. Galleries representing the artist are located in Carmel and San Francisco, CA; Scottsdale, AZ; Ruidoso, NM; Boulder, CO; Bozeman, MT; Austin, TX; Cincinnati, OH and Charleston, SC.

Barbara Carrasco - Untitled - Culver City, CA

Barbara Carrasco is an artist and muralist from Los Angeles. Her works have been exhibited throughout the US, Europe and Latin America. Her original mural sketches and drawings are included in the Permanent Collection of Works on paper at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC. Documentation of her mural works is archived in the California Murals Collection at the Smithsonian Institution (1983). Her oral history is archived at the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution (1999).

Carlos Callejo - Untitled - Los Angeles, CA

Carlos Callejo, muralist and former El Pasoan, has joined the growing list of artists who have donated their time and talent to our cause. He was commissioned by El Paso County to create a mural in the autrium of the County Courthouse. "Our History" spans three walls beneath the glass ceiling of the courthouse. We are so excited Carlos has agreed to participate in this event, which will benefit families throughout the El Paso area.

Tina Fuentes - "Fruta de mi vida y corazon" - Lubbock, TX

Tina Fuentes dreams in color. She touches object and people, and feels the energy around her. A native of Texas, Fuentes was born in San Angelo and raised in Odessa, TX. She earned her BFA and MFA degrees at the University of North Texas in Denton, where she specialized in painting, drawing, and printmaking. Fuentes has taught art in Texas public schools, the Waco Art Center, the University of Albuquerque, the University of New Mexico - and Texas Tech, where she has been for 19 years.

Don Newton - Untitled - Los Angeles, CA

Don Newton joins us from Los Angeles, California. This is the first year we have had artists from outside of the El Paso/New Mexico area. Don is new to the Toma Mi Corazon auction, and we are pleased to have him on board!