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Carmen Gutierrez

"I was was raised to be the perfect housewife, which is exactly what I was until 1987, when I decided to enter the world of art. I wanted to attend Fine Arts courses, but both my father and my husband were opposed to the idea so I gave up on taking the courses - but not on my dream to be an artist. I am married and have two children and, while I took care of of them, I attended many arts and crafts courses, including one on sculpture during the late 1980s. The first time I displayed my art in public, I sold three works. This affirmation of my talent inspired in me a new confidence to push ahead with my dream to be an artist.

"Today, I am not the naive wife or the compliant daughter I once was. My world, which was once small, has opened up, and I have come to understand new things and meet new people. I have become independent. Once I felt that I had fulfilled my duties as a mother, I dedicated myself to art. At the beginning of this transformation, my husband was hesitant, but now he encourages me and is a big part of my inspiration. My children also support me and are proud of me. There is even a new, interesting twist in my family: I now have two grandchildren!

"I enjoy telling my story because I have been able to revolutionize my personal life and come out on top. I want to share this with other women so that they will know that it is never too late to change one's life.

"I focus on women as the main theme of my work. I seek out feminine sensuality and capture it in a stylized form, adding my own individual touch to everything that I paint. I like to highlight the strength of women, and I want to use my art to affirm that sensuality and femininity do not diminish women's strength. I work with a variety of media, including golden metal, patinado, and resimármore, a type of resin made of marble.

"I have shown my work in New York, São Paulo, and Rio De Janeiro. I have won gold and silver metals, and I have works in thirty galleries in Brazil. In 1995, I was the representative of Brazil in the show of South American women for the anniversary of Bolivia.

"I taught in 1998, but nowadays I do not want to commit myself to anything but my own art. In the future, I intend to continue working with clay and golden metal, but I would also like to work with iron. I hope that with Novica my sales will increase and I will become a recognized artist worldwide."