Kortez

Biography:Kortez is a visual artist and DJ who resides in Freehold Boro New Jersey. His work includes mixed media collage, acrylic, watercolor and works on paper. The subject matter varies from social commentary to pop culture. Consistent elements in his work are bright colors and bold lines.Drawing since the age of 3, Kortez had the guidance of his parents. His stay at home mother made life very art friendly by encouraging drawing and painting. She also opened his eyes to artists like Warhol and Picasso. His father was a marine biologist who shared abstract drawings based on single celled organisms. During his years in High school Kortez became interested in Graffiti. This led him to the NYC underground movement. Club music, Hip-Hop and the downtown art scene were appealing. He began to mimic and morph what the graffiti artists were doing on the L.E.S. (Lower East Side) and the Bronx. Keith Haring and Basquait also became inspiring heroes during this time.In 1989 Kortez enrolled at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial arts majoring in fine art. Under the watchful eyes of instructors like Hugo Bastidas and Ted Bonavito, He developed his current style of painting. Hugo encouraged the artist to think about composition, subject matter and using art as communication. Bonavito taught technique and encouraged experimentation.In the years to follow Kortez has exhibited in several group shows in the NY Tri State area. He also incorporated his love of DJ culture into his art by performing live painting in area nightclubs. The giant Step sessions with DJ Ron Trent opened many doors. One of his paintings created at The Giant Step sessions was exhibited at the Levi's headquarters in San Francisco. He also received sponsorship from Evian Water and LG Phones to perform at the Giant Step events.In the summer of 2004 he had opportunity to be curator of Freehold's first emerging artists gallery called Gallery31. The gallery supported local artists like Bernardo Corman, Sue Sitar, Neville Brown and the late John Kochansky who was a very close friend. Known New York artists such as Brooklyn's Danny Simmons and Reynolds have also exhibited at Gallery 31.The Gallery closed in early 2006 but that hasn't stopped Kortez. Currently he is hard at work painting and is continuing his love of DJ culture by painting live and Djing at local events.Please contact me at at the following email addresses, [email protected],[email protected] or reach me via myspace. Thank you for coming to my site and if your not a friend on my list please sign up. If your not a myspace member, you should take advantage of this as a tool to meet new people, network and promote your passion!Peace and Blessings,Kortez