For artist Edgar Medina, knowing that his paintings help people is one of his greatest personal rewards. As a child in Ciudad Mante Tamaulipas, Mexico, Medina spent much of his time in hospitals with a serious lung condition. His parents supplied him with crayons so he could, in a way, venture outside the four walls of his hospital room and create his own worlds. It sparked a love of artistic expression that eventually blossomed into a successful career.

Now the respected painter gives back to Houston charities by donating his paintings to raise money and awareness. The groups that have benefited from his generosity include Muscular Dystrophy Association, Victory Houston Cattle Baron's Ball, Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts, Tahirih Justice Center, and Baylor's Teen Health Clinic.

"I am so blessed to be able to give back to my community through my work," Medina says. "It is so satisfying to see the proceeds from the sale of an Edgar Medina original go to help a child with cancer, provide medical services to low-income teens, or send a child with muscular dystrophy to camp."

His vibrant paintings have been shown across the country at galleries in Chicago, New Orleans, and Houston. He's been a featured artist at Art Chicago, Los Angeles Art Show, Art Santa Fe, and Red Dot Miami. But venture to his studio in Montrose, within Native Citizen, and you can most likely find him contentedly working away.

Medina's dedication to artistic expression and telling stories through color, pattern, and layering might be where he ended up, but it wasn't always where he was headed. An original career in dentistry was satisfying, but his artistic voice kept speaking to him. In 2007, he took the necessary steps to become an artist full-time, relying on his vision, passion, and confidence in his work. His commissioned clients range from interior designers to homeowners to commercial space planners, who appreciate the curated look his creations give to their spaces.

But it's finding time to create for himself and others that Medina most treasures, mainly because it affords him a way to help others.

"It is very important to me to give back to the community in honor of all that I have achieved and overcome in my own life," he says.