Some might say the eyes are the window to the soul. Mattapoisett resident and artist Linda Pierre certainly thinks so.

That's why when Pierre picks up her paint brush, she creates portraits.

"I think a psychologist would have a field day with me," Pierre said. "I just like faces. I think you can see someone's soul through their countenance. I also think it's challenging."

Pierre, a former elementary school teacher in Beverly Farms, recently opened The Back Door Gallery on Main Street in Wareham.

By doing her own matting and framing, Pierre is able to keep the prices of her artwork in the range of $10 to $40.

"I don't see why art needs to be elitist," said Pierre. "Forget the stuff and make art."

Tucked into a corner of a building that used to house medical offices, Pierre opened the gallery after painting in the privacy of her home for more than 20 years.

Pierre graduated from Boston University's School of Education, and then raised three children. Pierre says that when she was entering college and the job market, her gender severely limited her professional options.

"There weren't a lot of choices for women," Pierre remembers. "You could be a teacher, a secretary, or a nurse."

Located near the Agawam River, the gallery serves as an ideal spot from which Pierre draws inspiration.

"You see that something to get you going. Something has to give you that spark,"she said.

In the 1980s, Pierre took classes at Boston Architectural College and explored her artistic ability.

"I just always liked art," Pierre said. "I find it very relaxing and stimulating."

Most of Pierre's works are oil on canvas, but she also does collage and charcoal pieces. She says she much prefers drawing people, rather than landscapes.

Currently, everything in The Back Door Gallery is Pierre's work, but she says, "eventually I'll take consignments."

The Back Door Gallery is located at 137 Rear Main Street in Wareham, just before the Narrows Bridge. Enter through the door closest to Merchants Way.