Painter Tina Fuentes was born in San Angelo in 1949, and raised in Odessa, Texas. She began her artistic journey when she studied art at Odessa College before earning her Bachelors & Master in Fine Arts at North Texas State University. Tina established herself as a professional artist through her numerous one-woman, group, museum and gallery exhibitions in the United States, working predominantly in painting, drawing and printmaking. Tina’s reputation has led her to receive numerous grants throughout her career, most notable when in 2014 The National Science Foundation sponsored two large exhibitions as part of a collaborative federal initiative on art and atmospheric science. Tina’s work has been showcased in dozens of exhibitions, ranging from the permanent collection at the National Hispanic Cultural Center Art Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper, Wyoming. When she isn’t exhibiting her work across the country, Tina regularly serves as an exhibition juror and board member on groups such as the Albuquerque Arts Board and the Texas Commission on the Arts. Tina joined Texas Tech University as a Professor in the School of Art in 1986, later becoming a department Director in 2004 before her retirement in 2019. Upon her retirement, she was given the honorary title of Emerita Professor. Tina continues her work at her studio in Lubbock, taking inspiration from her West Texas roots and applying it to her art for everyone to enjoy.
Tina Fuentes was inducted into the West Texas Walk of Fame in 2024.
