GABRIELA MONTERROSO (Guatemala, 1974) is a Houston based painter and sculptor
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Guatemalan born and raised, Monterroso is a multidisciplinary figurative artist,  living and working in Houston.  Her work predominantly features the female figure and horses as central themes. She is an alumna of the Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, where she completed her Certificate in Painting and is currently a candidate in Ceramics (2026). Monterroso is the founder of Monterroso Gallery, which focuses on contemporary Latin American art, with a special emphasis on artists from Guatemala. Her work has been widely exhibited in Houston, including at the Holocaust Museum, Lawndale Art Center, and the Kinder Morgan Building.

"The female figure is at the center of my work—not as a symbol, but as form, gesture, and presence. I began with a strong foundation in anatomical drawing, and over time my practice has shifted toward simplified lines and sketch-like studies that now inform my sculpture.
My recent work focuses on the tecomate, a traditional vessel used to carry water. To me, its shape has always resembled a woman—curved, holding, containing. I see it as a natural extension of the female body: protective, nurturing, and grounded. Many of my sculptures reflect this, showing women embracing something close to them. Others present figures with open, extended arms—released, unguarded.
I work with natural materials and treat the surface of each sculpture with care. I rarely use glazes, leaving the clay porous to absorb time—to take on a patina naturally, or to appear as though it already has. The base is just as important as the figure. I often pair my sculptures with reclaimed wood or stone, considering how the body connects to the ground beneath it.
As a Guatemalan artist, these forms and materials are tied to memory—shaped by what I grew up seeing, holding, and remembering. My work continues to return to these quiet gestures of strength and presence, always rooted in the figure.