Dayna De Hoyos, 27

Dayna De Hoyos uses discarded items, such as dirty Happy Meal toys, in her artwork. Courtesy Photo

MEDIUM: Mixed media, including painting, sculpture, installation and video

BEST KNOWN FOR: “Three-dimensional paintings in which I incorporate Happy Meal toys and thread and tapestry and hair and dirt and every single object you could possibly think of to put in a painting,” De Hoyos said. “The painting comes off the wall and moves into the space, onto the ground, onto the ceiling.” Many of her pieces are intensely personal and act as tributes to the people and relationships in her life. “I'm trying to make a physical representation of the feelings and the memories of everything I've gone through,” she said.

FACTOID: While working as a musical production assistant at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in 2002, De Hoyos created original art for the dressing rooms of Green Day, the Dave Matthews Band, Willie Nelson and others.

PAYING THE BILLS: De Hoyos works in admissions at Alamo Community College District. She also is owner and executive curator of Stella HausÖ Art Space, which is dedicated to showing emerging female artists, in the Blue Star Arts Complex, and she serves on the board of directors of Blue Star Contemporary Art Center.

PHILOSOPHY: “It's about beautification of things that other people throw away or discard as being plastic or disposable,” she said. “I find dirty Happy Meal toys beautiful, and I don't know why. But I want other people to see the beauty, and sometimes the only way to see the beauty is distortion of perception.”

CHECK HER OUT: De Hoyos has exhibited her work around Texas and in New Orleans. Currently her work is in the Museo Alameda del Smithsonian's exhibit “Has Come to Hand” on display at the Great Northwest Public Library in celebration of Women's History Month. It's up through April 28. Call (210) 684-5251Ö.

Jessica Belasco | Contributor