Today we’d like to introduce you to Abel Ortiz. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Abel Ortiz-Acosta was born in Cuidad Allende, Coahuila, Mexico and lived a few years in Zaragoza, Coahuila just before immigrating to the USA at the age of seven in 1973. Partly raised in West Texas, in the small town of Ozona, his family later moved to Del Rio where Ortiz attended middle school and graduated from Del Rio High School in 1986. Art has been a passion for Ortiz ever since he could pick up a pencil or crayon to draw with. Ortiz’s first years in American schools were rough, he failed the first grade because he couldn’t speak English, but as the saying goes, there is a silver lining to every dark cloud. During that first year of first grade, he was set aside from the rest of the class and given crayons to draw with all day. This allowed him to practice his drawing skills and nourish his creativity. He had been drawing cartoons since early childhood.
After high school, Ortiz worked dead-end jobs in Del Rio. He knew he had to follow his passion for art. So, he moved to San Antonio where he attended San Antonio College’s art program and his art career was launched. He transferred to The University of Texas at San Antonio where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts degree in 1999. That summer he moved to Iowa City, Iowa to attend Graduate School at the University of Iowa. In 2001 he received his Master’s of Arts degree in Painting/Drawing and in 2002, he received his Master’s of Fine Arts degree in Painting/Drawing (terminal degree), both from The University of Iowa which has one of the leading art programs in the nation.
Today, Mr. Ortiz is the full-time associate professor of Art at Southwest Texas Junior College in Uvalde, Texas. He opened his own art gallery called ART LAB Contemporary Art Space in 2011, where he offers exhibitions from different artists every Second Friday of each month. He spearheaded and directed the Healing Murals of Uvalde project in the Summer of 2022. He also painted one of the murals for the project. His work has been exhibited in Chicago, San Antonio, Houston (Clear Lake), Iowa, Rhode Island, Corpus Christi, Del Rio, Uvalde and other venues.
I initiated the Healing Murals of Uvalde, helped organize and managed it. I also painted Ellie Garcia’s mural.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Living in a small town limits artistic opportunities.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I create Latinx-themed art mainly Border Pop. I initiated the Uvalde Mural Project. In painted Ellie Garcia’s mural.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Getting out of my comfort zone is always risky.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @abel_ortiz_artist
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abel.ortiz.31508?mibextid=LQQJ4d
Image Credits
Evelin Ortiz
