VISIONARY PROJECT: Seeing Eye to Eye

Alicia Sanchez has the rare ability to look into someone’s eyes for a long time without blinking first. The 16-year-old self-taught portrait artist specializes in drawing eyes. She started sketching portraits of faces she found online when she was 10. As part of her school volunteer program, Alicia shared her talents with the Sister2Sister program by illustrating the sisters’ eyes.

"What I enjoyed most about painting the women’s eyes was getting to know them and their stories,” she said. “While I was sketching, I was also able to listen in on the sessions and hear them talking about their lives. The stories from these powerful women are incredibly inspiring."

Alicia adds that eyes have always been an important symbol in her family and that she learns so much about a person when she has the privilege to look deeply into their eyes. “I’m an empathetic person, so I often find that I feel their emotions,” she explains. “When I was drawing the sisters—especially after they had made a passionate presentation to the class, I could feel that passion in their eyes through their bold gazes.”

Click through the slides below.