FACES OF ART BASEL 2015:Those Who Teach Also Do

Diana Contreras, 34, once only painted on canvas. She never considered painting a mural, but in 2012, after making several trips to Wynwood, she decided to give it a try.

"I was really inspired by Wynwood and all of the major artists that would come down, and I would just come and be inspired," says Contreras, who lives in Coral Gables and works as an art teacher at Avocado Elementary School in Homestead.

"When I first started showing my work around here, a lot of people told me that I'm not an artist: 'You're just a teacher. You're not a real artist because you're teaching,'" she recalls. "But me having this job has helped me to do the art that I want to do because I don't have to rely on money. I just do what I want to do, and if I want to do charity work, I can. If I want to paint something for an organization for free, I can because I have a job. I'm grateful for it."

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