CAMBRIDGE - Main Street Gallery will present Cambridge’s Winter Storm as the guest artist for July and August. Her show of unique paintings and drawings is titled “A Winter Storm in Summer.”

Winter Storm was born Winter Coachella Christine De Lacruz, a name she says reflects her diverse lineage of Puerto Rican, Native American and African descendants. When she started making art, however, she decided to embrace Storm as her studio name, a name which aptly suits the fierce manner in which she approaches her paintings. The self-taught artist uses vivid, often pulsating colors and passionate brushstrokes to create compositions that she says express emotions such as joy, pain, triumph and loss.

When she first started making art, her pain, she says, became her purpose and her artwork became an outlet for her feelings. From abstracts to landscapes to portraits of people and animals, her works are full of movement, energy and verve.

She says her favorite artists are Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo and Picasso and that their influences live on in her portfolio of works.

Storm is not only a prolific artist but works in the mental health field as well as with the drug and alcohol population. She said, “Helping people to find their greatest version of themselves has given me a greater sense of empathy for the human condition and has informed my artwork considerably.”

In addition to Cambridge, Storm’s work has gained attention in several venues in the Washington, D.C. area. At the D.C. Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Wilson Building in Washington, the artist presented D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser with a portrait she painted of her. Her most recent presentation was in Chicago at the Mosque Maryam where she gave Minister Farrakhan his portrait.

“A Winter Storm In Summer” will open July 7 and run through Aug. 28. There will be two artist receptions from 5-8 p.m. on Second Saturdays, July 9 and Aug. 13.

Main Street Gallery is located at 518 Poplar St. in Cambridge, in the city’s Arts and Entertainment district. The gallery’s hours for this show are Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors may also see the exhibit by appointment, by calling the gallery at 410-330-4659 or browsing the gallery’s website at mainstgallery.net.

Main Street Gallery is Cambridge’s only artist-owned and run cooperative and is currently reviewing work from prospective members and guest artists. Those interested in joining this community are asked to contact the gallery.