Meet Giovanna DiZurita of DiZurita

Today we’d like to introduce you to Giovanna DiZurita.

Giovanna, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have been an artist since I have use of memory but I completed my first painting when I was 10 yrs old. From then on, I had a crazy dream of one day becoming a well-known artist. Sadly in school, that dream became more impossible as I grew older because all my teachers kept saying that being artist was not a true career. Soon the idea of painting became a hobby & for years, I kept my art all to myself. When I turned 20, JC, my now husband and business partner saw my work & recognized some talent in my paintings. JC knew I didn’t want to show my art to the world as I didn’t believe it was good enough so he decided to steal some pieces & found a shop interested in selling them. One day he came to me and told me what he had done. When I was about to explode, he rapidly said, ” We have sold all your pieces and they are asking for more” I couldn’t believe it. I believe that moment taught me to trust in my talent and gave me the fuel to pursue my career. From that moment on I didn’t stop painting, I found out about all kinds of art events, pop up shows and festivals until one day we able to save enough and open our own gallery in SA TX. For years we continued in TX until one day we decided to take it to the next level. Now we travel the world, Half of the year between LA and Vegas, the other half between NYC, TX and Mexico. We believe we are citizens of the world and the art should be expanding and I, as the artist should be learning so that way my creations always tell different stories with different tastes, smells and colors. There is no end to the story as now we dedicate our lives to travel the world, to explore & create.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I was born in San Antonio but I was raised in Mexico. When thing back in Mexico got rough for my parents economically, they brought the whole family back to the US. I didn’t speak the language and I was bullied in school for having and accent and “funny clothes”. I always had an artistic take on the way I dressed, the way I tough and that was not easy. I tried for years to be “normal” until one day I discovered that the uniqueness of my personality was the most beautiful thing. At the age of 18 My dad was deported and I resided to stay in the US as I watch my entire family leave. It was by far the hardest and most lonely period of my life. Yet that struggle prepared me for what I believe was the most interesting adventure of my life. The preparation of the artist I was to become. I learn to be lonely. I learned to touch the most sensible areas of my experiences to paint with my soul. When I decided to become a full time, I was so hungry to learn, so ready to succeed and at the same time not so afraid to fail as I had nothing to lose at that point. My now husband became the investor of the “operation artist on the making” if you wanna call it that. lol

As a smart investor, he only gave me the money to pay for the events. It was up to me to make the money to pay him, to buy materials to create more art and the things I need it for my “setup”. I started selling my art in the parks, on the glass I put my canvases and when I had enough to buy tables, table clothes and I was able to prove that we could make a profit then everything started blooming.

DiZurita – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My specialty is colorful art with a meaning. I am an artist, but more than that, I am a storyteller. I create beautiful pieces of different styles that tell positive stories of hope, love and respect. My purpose trough every piece is to provoke a feeling of undeniable happiness to the viewer. My paintings are mostly Acrylic on canvas & mixed media. Animals, inspirational people, World travel and skylines are the most popular subject lines in my work but I don’t believe on naming my art with one style as I evolve and change with the different feeling I get as inspiration for every piece. A metamorphosis of creative styles.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I have felt so honored and proud in many times in my career through the different awards I have received (“Visual artist of the year”, “fashion artist of the year”, Gallery of the year”etc.) but sometimes is the little things with powerful meanings that create the biggest impacts. In my case, the proudest moment and yet the hardest of my career so far was the day I decided along with my husband to sell it all. My home, all furniture,gallery & material belongings to leave the city that watched me grow to pursue the next big dream. To expand, to travel, to sell and share my work with the rest of the world.