Hilda Rueda focuses on hands and faces in her paintings of human subjects because they are the most expressive parts of the human body, she said.

“The rest, I just let it go,” Rueda said. “I do not like too much detail or too much paint in certain areas because I want the viewer to see what I’m trying to convey, which is the expression and the passion that the model brings.”

Rueda chooses people she finds inspiring to be her models, and she typically paints with elongated paintbrushes because it allows her to be freer, she said.

“I think painting from life is really enriching,” Rueda said. “It’s for the viewer and the artist, too. The connection between the artist and the model really adds more feeling to a painting.”

Rueda has been an active member of The Woodlands Art League since 2012; she serves as the vice president of programs. She also hosts drawing and painting classes in her studio in Tomball.

Rueda’s passion for art extends beyond the paintbrush. When she is not teaching painting or drawing classes, she teaches poetry, Portuguese and Spanish classes.

“My intention as an artist is not just to paint,” Rueda said. “My intention as an artist is to make people aware of the importance of art. With my students I try to make them realize, even if they are not going to art school, how important any kind of art expression is in order to have a balanced life.”

Before becoming an artist 10 years ago, Rueda was a petroleum engineer. She started taking art lessons in Houston when she got out of the oil industry to raise her young children.

“I always loved art but couldn’t do it when I was young,” Rueda said. “The finances didn’t work for that kind of career.”

Since discovering her artistic talent, Rueda has lived in Canada and Brazil, where she continued taking classes. 

“I don’t have a degree in art, but I have been doing art for about 10 years now,” Rueda said. “This is my full-time job.”

In her spare time, Rueda enjoys reading, dancing and spending time with her family. She also tries to have her work exhibited wherever she sees an opportunity, she said. Her work has been featured in the Bayou Arts Festival and at Houston Community College.

Rueda does other work on commission, but her paintings are mostly of models painted from real life.

“Having the model in front of you, I think you get into the zone where things just happen,” Rueda said. “It’s not you anymore. I think that’s the most amazing thing about art. It’s a therapy. You get to paint and forget about your daily problems.”

The next round of classes for drawing beginners and advanced painters begins in September. See Rueda’s website for more information.