We were lucky to catch up with Cynthia Ortega recently and have shared our conversation below.
Cynthia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
Biggest risk I have ever taken was moving away from my hometown on my own in my early twenties. I grew up in a 60,000 population city known as Porterville just up north from Los Angeles in the San Joaquin Valley. The arts have always caught my attention but was never exactly sure what career I wanted although I knew I had to stay in school. I transferred from community college to CSU Dominguez Hills in Fine Arts where after a few years living in the South Bay it got really tough. COVID struck everyone. I took a few years off from school because I was struggling financially and recently lost my brother to cancer. But with all the bad comes the good. I’ve recently showcased artwork from Bakersfield to Fullerton. My most recent exhibition was Innerlinks for ArtShare LA. I started working at a tattoo shop called Retro Row Ink as a tattoo artist. I also did a mural project for the tattoo shop. I didn’t move here with a set plan. The outcome of all this is that I am continuously growing as an artist and my perception on life is constantly shifting. It motivates me to a better version of myself,
Cynthia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am an interdisciplinary artist living in Los Ángeles, exploring neo surrealism as a first generation Mexican American. She primarily works with acrylics, ink, and color pencil. Ortega experiments with color and patterns to achieve surreal paintings. She uses a limited color palette and under paintings of cool tones that are topped off with warm tones to feel nostalgia and timelessness. Many of Ortega’s paintings are depicted through anthropomorphism to contortions of figures, incorporating familiar objects or a dream dreamt from the night before. She has exhibited artworks from central to southern California including Rancho Palos Verdes, Fullerton and Bakersfield. She has a mural painted in Long Beach at Retro Row Ink where she is also working as a tattoo artist. Ortega received her AA for Transfer at Porterville Community College (2017) and is working towards her BA at California State University of Domínguez Hills.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I think the most rewarding aspect of being an artist especially as a tattoo artist is when my client is genuinely happy of the outcome of my work.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Support in any way they can. It can be as simple as a like, share or comment on social media. They can also up to art exhibitions and pop ups.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cynthiaortega95.wixsite.com/artbycyn
- Instagram: @arte_de_cynthia
- Other: [email protected]