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.