Evita Tezeno is having a good month. The North Texas-based mixed media collage artist is featured in Vogue Magazine.
"I know I told my parents and my grandparents that I wanted to be on the cover of famous magazines and newspapers and travel the world with my artwork," Tezeno said. "I did not imagine that I would be in Vogue this quickly."
The Vogue feature came on the heels of Tezeno winning the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship Award for Fine Art. Her colorful, mixed media collages depict Black joy.
"People say that in the midst of all the sadness we have in the world, my work is like a ray of sunshine in their life," Tezeno said.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
Tezeno started her artistic career as an impressionist painter.
"I felt like I was stuck," Tezeno said. "I prayed about it. I had a dream that an angel came to my door and gave me a book of sketches and he said, 'If you follow the instructions in this book, you will be successful,'" Tezeno said.
She is successful. Last year, the Dallas Museum of Art acquired one of her pieces. Her artwork also hangs in the homes of celebrities.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"I was purchased by Denzel Washington. He bought a couple of my pieces," Tezeno said. "And then Samuel Jackson bought my work. So Samuel Jackson saw my work in Denzel Washington's home."
Evita Tezeno has a solo exhibit this month at the Houston Museum of African American Culture.
