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Mitzie Bower is a native New Mexican, born and raised in the Land of Enchantment. She received her bachelors degree in Fine Arts from the University of New Mexico and has had a career as a graphic artist at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico for the past 18 years. At the age of 17, an unfortunate fall from the balance beam paralyzed her from the shoulders down. Her loss of physical expression evolved into a passion for visual beauty. A prosthetic brace liberates and animates her hands with graceful dexterity and movement to create vivid fantastical imagery. Mitzie's innovative illustrations reflect nature and the cultural influences New Mexico has to offer her. She also seeks the inherent beauty within the grain of wood or the skin of a gourd through the pyrographic techniques of woodburning. Mitzie is also fascinated by the charming luster of glaze on a ceramic surface. Her multiple tile mosaics are exuberant in color and tactile to the touch. It is important to Mitzie that her artwork is as sensuous to the touch as it is to the eye. This is especially apparent in bronze blocks where she aspires to reveal the muscular relief of equine features or a bald eagles majestic glance. Giclee prints and pyrography.