Saralene has lived on four different continents while growing up. She is currently seeking a master's degree at the University of Houston, Clear Lake, having graduated from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. There she received the CAP Foundation Studio Award, which allowed a year of work in a Dublin studio and an exhibition.
Saralene, who began painting portraits as a child at her mother's side, creates large, bold, expressive figurative paintings. "My art is about freeing the human spirit…in each piece my goal is to achieve harmony between the interior and exterior of the being, physically and psychically."
Gabriella Nissen is a professional photographer who worked as a fashion photographer, art director and designer for Foley's, and now does freelance work. After years in the commercial world shooting specific projects with a targeted look under a tight deadline, she enjoys the open-endedness and freedom of creating her own personal works. She was a 2006 entrant in Lawndale Art Center's prestigious The Big Show, and won Honorable Mention in the Texas Photographic Society's Members Only Show, which opened in San Antonio in February. Her photography is surreal and colorful. She has been working on her "Botanika" series since 2002. "I'm very attracted to nature's themes of regeneration and transformation. I love the interaction between the models and the botanicals. As the people merge with the botanicals they seem to morph into new life forms that have a language all their own."
Rebecca Etcheverry grew up in New York State, but has lived in nine states, Puerto Rico and Canada. Her work experience is equally diverse including real estate broker for historical properties, apartment owner and manager, and horse breeder in the Adirondack Mountains. She received an art degree from State University of New York at Albany, studied drawing at Murray State University in Kentucky, and in 2001 arrived in Houston spending two years attending the Glassell School of Art before opening her own studio. She has been in numerous shows and competitions including the prestigious Houston Assistance League's Texas Art 2006. Her works are typically large, non-objective pieces using captivating colors and shapes to create detailed focal areas that lead the eye across the canvas. "My work is an interaction: I make marks, the canvas dictates the next step. I have only the loosest concept of what each painting will be; rather, I start out with familiar shapes or make lines and let the process lead me."
Amy Guidry was born in Slidell, Louisiana. Her art interest began with her first set of crayons, growing and flourishing with the years. She received the Loyola University Art Scholarship, and a Bachelor's degree in Visual Arts - Graphic Designs. Her work consists of a series of portraits and figure work just shy of photorealism. "I feel this style allows me to show the detail of the subject while bringing out the vast array of colors and shapes found in the faces and figures. Through the emphasis of color - some subtle, some embellished - I am able to relay the personalities of the individuals as I see them. By distilling the subjects to faces and bodies of colors and shapes, I am able to offer the viewer an intimate look into the essence of the person." Guidry's work was recently on display at the Heymann Center for the Performing Arts in Lafayette.
The final five artists will be announced in early fall. In the meantime, "10 Women, 10 Perspectives" continues to take shape, ignited and fueled by one woman's vision, dedication, creative energy and passion. An art form of its own, it will touch, move and inspire all who come in contact.
