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This is one of the paintings by Isabel Yepez of the Dominican Republic that will be shown at the Essex Art Center from Nov. 21 to Dec. 12.

Upcoming shows feature vibrant work by Guatemalan, Dominican artists.

LAWRENCE — Essex Art Center will shine with brilliant light and vibrant color in the works of Guatemalan and Dominican artists, displayed in two shows from October through December.

"Luz y Color" ("Light and Color") opens Friday at the Essex Art center with a reception for Guatemalan painters Jorge Morales and Fabian Hernandez and master weaver Armando Sosa.

The images will celebrate Guatemalan life, rekindling memories of the homeland for area residents originally from the Central American country. 

It will also give second generation Guatemalan-Americans a look at life in their parents' native land, organizers said.

Art center registrar Sara Hidalgo said many visitors will come to the event in Guatemalan dress, giving the show an extra jolt of color.

Works will show scenes of everyday life. Hidalgo said the exhibit was organized by Essex Art Center board member Mory Espaillat as a result of a chance encounter with Morales and Hernandez while she and her family were vacationing earlier this year in Guatemala. 

A second show at the Essex Art Center continues its theme of color with the "Fuera de la Isla" ("Out of the Island") exhibit, opening Nov. 21. Visitors will see the works of five female Dominican artists — Rosalba Hernandez, Isabel Yepez, Aurora Diaz, Patricia Gamundi and Mirna Ledesma.

Their works include jewelry, drawings and paintings.

The artists are well known in their home country of the Dominican Republic, and the show will give them greater exposure off the island.

Some of the works, again, portray everyday life and regular citizens. Some images come across as a social study while others venture into poetry and romanticism.

Organizers said the artists will talk about what inspires them and their visions and careers. The work presents a diverse look at life.

The women in Yepez's paintings have no race, remaining eternally beautiful throughout their lives, according to organizers. 

Gamundi's art is inspired by youth, their dreams, games and rituals, organizers said.