"For the past seven years, my faith has continuously led me to Honduras, Central America where I have volunteered in an orphanage, El Hogar de Amor y Esperanza, teaching art classes and working in construction. Hondurans live in harsh poverty, where families and children have close to nothing. However, when I talk to Hondurans, their words are not bitter, jealous, or malicious, but soft and gentle. The colors painted on all the houses, the ancient Mayan inscriptions from the north coast, and the language have all entranced me. With the combination of warm colors, Mayan hieroglyphs, and portraits of the people I have become close with, I strive to capture and portray the gentleness of Hondurans."

• www.leenowellart.com