7 Nations Painting by Morel Orta

The designer and artist Morel Orta is a native of Caracas, Venezuela and resides in Boston since 2000. He holds a Bachelors of Science degree from Wentworth Institute of Technology and a Master’s Degree in Architecture from the Boston Architectural College. For the past decade he has worked for the renowned architectural firms of Gensler, Bruner/Cott & Associates, and is currently a project designer at Perkins+Will where he specializes in the design of both architectural and interior commercial projects. His architectural work reflects his keen interest in contemporary aesthetics. Orta perceives his art as “ … nothing more than the physical representation of my way of thinking. Through painting, which is my preferred method of experimentation, I can play in a two-dimensional world and test what could potentially become three-dimensional creation— which could range from sculpture and furniture to interior spaces and buildings. For me paintings are the step in between, that missing link between the built environment and what lies inside the designer’s mind. Through paintings I can evoke all the colors, feelings, aromas, and passions that resonate with people who grow up in Venezuela. Being the grandson of a master carpenter from Margarita Island, I carry with me a profound love of the sea, of sailing, of nature, and that permanent pursuit of the awareness of being alive and free— that is what I strive to communicate through my art.”