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Barrio street scenes come alive through聽Tony Ortega鈥檚 (Span鈥�80, MFA鈥�95) use of bold yellows, blue-greens, orange, rust and hot pinks. The brown-bodied subjects with indefinable faces keep the focus on the everyday lives of indigenous Mestizo, Indian and Latino subjects and their environment.

鈥淚 paint what I know and what I see. People feel a distinct connection to the recognizable imagery,鈥� Tony says about the shapes and landscapes he creates from recollections or imaginings. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to show the laborer picking the fruits and vegetables, not just the marketplace.鈥�

As an artist and a professor at Regis University in Denver, Tony says art opened a new world he never imagined as a child. His successful artistic presentation of Chicano history, culture and experience brought him recognition in the 1999 Colorado Governor鈥檚 Award for Excellence in Art, the 1998 Denver Mayor鈥檚 Award for Excellence in Art and placement of his artwork in gallery collections nationally and internationally. He also appears in the Hall of Excellence at the CU Heritage Center.

Tony鈥檚 brightly colored oils and pastels reflect the connectedness of family, neighborhood, church, school and work. He achieves an emotional effect for his viewers through distortion, exaggeration and amplified designs of geometric shape.

Early childhood memories of watching his New Mexico grandmother sew quilts and his uncle work with wood shaped Tony鈥檚 interest in creating something of his own.

鈥淚 remember my kindergarten teacher holding up my drawing of a houseboat that looked like a face and showing off my work,鈥� he reminisces.

Two semesters as an undergraduate in CU鈥檚 Study Abroad program in Jalapa and聽 Monterrey, Mexico, helped him learn about his heritage. Rudolfo Garcia and Lillian Fernandez Robinson, the program coordinators, 鈥済ave me real world applications in Spanish and business,鈥� Tony remembers.

Becoming a professional artist before returning to CU for graduate school gave him time to experiment and experience teaching in a classroom.

鈥淚t happened at the right time,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 needed a change in art, and in working on my terminal degree I got to know Dr. George Rivera.鈥�

In collaboration with professor Rivera of art and art history, Tony illustrated聽 three bilingual books geared for migrant children in Head Start programs. The first book,聽Who am I? 驴Quien Soy Yo?, published with campus financial support, tells Tony鈥檚 story through its character Pano, named after his son Ciprano.

鈥淢y lifelong goal is to contribute to a better understanding of cultural diversity through my art,鈥� he states.

Photo courtesy Casey A. Cass