^{DAVE ORTIZ: COLORED}

Dave Ortiz is a New York artist of Puerto Rican descent. He works primarily in painting, silk-screen printing and drawings. He is among the generation of American Hispanic artists who found his voice first in street art. His work focuses on heritage and cultural assimilation topics and he can be described as a colorist.

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Growing up in East New York in the 70s and 80s Ortiz was swept up in the graffiti zeitgeist but eventually decided to turn to fine art and painting. He attended and graduated from the Fine Arts School at FIT in New York City. His work has been exhibited in solo and group shows in NYC and internationally.

Influenced by his Hispanic heritage, Classical sculpture and Impressionistic works he visited growing up in New York City museums, Ortiz found himself developing a visual shorthand that unites the dramatically opposed worlds of street art and fine art. His figurative work is equally influenced by Matisse, references to Greek antiquity and more contemporary influences like Keith Haring.  The mix of mediums often crosses boundaries as well, with the artist employing traditional acrylic painting alongside spray paint and the paint markers often associated with quick tagging in street art.  His painting and print work can be classified from abstract to figurative with a vibrant and spontaneous energy influenced by his everyday experience that pervades both surface and conscious meaning.

Dave Ortiz lives and works in Delhi, NY and NYC.