The one-man show during the 65th Annual Spanish Market on Friday, July 29, 2016 features bronze vessel and cross sculptor Fred Ortiz from 5:00-7:30 pm at Sorrel Sky Gallery’s 125 W. Palace Avenue location. The evening will spotlight the artist’s all original pieces and provide the opportunity to discuss with the artist himself his technique and the influences of his Hispanic heritage and culture on his work.

Fred Ortiz was born and raised in Nambe, North of Santa Fe, New Mexico. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Mexico, he began to create vessels in bronze. Working with a well-known foundry owned by his wife’s family, he began to cast and sell his work throughout the country. His work has now been collected for over thirty years, and he has designed and produced many commissioned pieces for a diverse and international list of clients.

When Ortiz creates a bronze vessel or cross, he usually starts with a turquoise stone that he likes and then builds the vessel or cross around it. He does not make molds and then cast editions, but rather makes one piece, casts it and then creates a different piece. All of his vessels and crosses are signed and engraved with the number 1/1, signifying that the piece is an edition of one; there are no duplicates. “The basic difference between my work and the traditional way of making art pieces, is that I make all of my pieces originals.”
To Sorrel Sky Gallery owner, Shanan Campbell Wells, the Spanish Colonial influence on Fred’s work is visibly evident. “Fred has such a clear vision of his personal culture, as well as the rich historical culture here in Santa Fe. To posses one of his original bronze vessels or cross, inlaid with turquoise or lapis, each unique and distinctive, is to possess a tangible piece of living history.”
Sorrel Sky Gallery’s fresh approach to Western art presents a select collection of contemporary and traditional fine art and jewelry for the discerning collector. Sorrel Sky Gallery was founded in Durango, CO in 2002 and opened its Santa Fe, NM location in 2014. It represents over 90 painters, sculptors and jewelers including bronze artist Star Liana York, painter Kevin Red Star, and jewelry artist Ben Nighthorse, among others.