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Bio

Lisa Soto is very proud of her Latino heritage. Although she was born in the United States, she loves sharing the strong connection she feels to her culture and incorporates it into her paintings whenever possible. In addition Lisa  feels that growing up in a small rural town has inspired many of her paintings and short stories.
 
The second of four children, she has two sisters and a brother. And while she is the only one in her family who is an artist, she says that she inherited her creative streak from her mother. “When I was younger, I remember seeing my mother draw and color, and since then, art has been in my life,” she says.

Lisa remembers when she was very young and yearned to have paints, but her parents were unable to provide them. So the frustrated little artist took matters into her own hands and squeezed hand cream into several different containers and used food coloring in an effort to make paint. She laughs when she says, “It didn’t work.”
 
 Early on her teachers recognized that she was very creative. They encouraged her to enter a coloring contest and much to her surprise, she won and her name was announced on the school’s intercom system.
 
During junior high, Lisa spent more time writing than in artwork, and in the seventh grade she wrote her first children’s book and experimented with poetry.  In high school, she was on the honor society and actively participated in Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan or M.E.Ch.A., which is an academic club where young Chicano (Mexican American) students influence their community and the school with positive involvement. Lisa effectively incorporated her art to educate and influence her community.
 
After graduating from high school, Lisa left for Brooks College in Long Beach, CA, where she graduated with an Associate of Arts degree in fashion design. After graduation, she quickly realized how competitive the fashion world is in California, and decided to go back home. It was then that she started working with Rosenbaum Fine Art and says, “Working for Rosenbaum the last six years has introduced me to life-long friends and has allowed my creativity to naturally flourish.”

Lisa describes her art as mostly abstract. She loves bright colors and enjoys venturing into all possible opportunities. Lisa has obtained many of her inspirations from dreams, fantasies and everyday life.
 
Lisa’s purpose in art is to attract the viewer's mind and make them wonder what she was feeling at the time. She says, “If I can make someone happy with my work, that is a great fulfillment.”
 
Lisa admires and appreciates works from Vincent van Gogh and Frida Kahlo. She says, "The insanity van Gogh lived was what has made him famous today."
 
        Kahlo on the other hand painted her life’s struggles. “Frida had an unusual, twisted and dark imagination; I guess that is what attracts me to her artwork,” she says.

Although Lisa has very little spare time, she and her husband manage to enjoy their two dogs. Lisa is a full time student and plans to help children who have been abused and neglected through art therapy.
 
Lisa says that the six years she’s been with Rosenbaum have been a wonderful and exciting journey and is anticipating many more years with the company.

LISASOTO