Naira Araya: Born in San José, Costa Rica, Nayra Araya is a self-taught artist who began painting in the naïve style at an early age.  In 1979 her work was presented at the Lachner & Saenz Bienal Exhibition in San José, gaining her recognition as an outstanding primitive artist.   Today she is considered to be one of the leading Costa Rican painters of that genre.   In 1989 she was chosen to represent her country in an international exhibition in Germany and won First Prices among 500 artists.   Araya has numerous one-person shows in Costa Rica and has participated in many group exhibitions in Latin America and Europe.   Her works are found in public and private collections in Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain Switzerland, South Korea and United States.