Jose Ortiz

I paint to understand what lies behind the gaze. I live and work in Valencia, where I use oil on paper to explore those emotions that we sometimes find hard to put into words. My background in design and my years at the drawing academy gave me the tools, but what I’m really looking for in every portrait is that raw, sometimes unfinished honesty that makes us human. For me, art is a way to filter the outside noise and breathe a purer air through every brushstroke.

I trained in Graphic Design, which I now see as a fundamental tool that helps me structure my ideas and understand the visual balance of my work. However, my true connection with art emerged during the three years I spent at a drawing academy here in Valencia. There, I learned to observe and respect the technical foundation of portraiture, a discipline I now try to deconstruct and transform through oil painting in search of something more personal and direct