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Navajo Creed
Honor the sacred,
Honor the Earth,
Honor the Elders.
Honor all with whom we share the Earth.
Four-legged, two-legged, winged ones,
swimmers, crawlers, plant and rock people.
Walk in balance and beauty.
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I was invited to attend Otis Parsons Art Institute in Los Angeles, California. My
summer scholarship programs in 1967 & 1968 exposed me to various types of professional art media. Life drawing classes and
recycling art projects inspired me to pursue fine art as a major in High School. College curriculum included graphic design,
architecture, technical illustration, electronic drafting, ceramics and photography.
A drafting position with a computer power supply company in Orange County, California started my drafting career. A Senior
Drafting position for a utility planning company in San Clemente, California was offered to me. Eventually I relocated to
Phoenix, Arizona and worked for the Salt River Project & Arizona Public Service engineering departments as a professional
draftsman. Working in the drafting field until manual drafting became obsolete and was replaced by computer aided drafting.
I changed careers and became a Thai massage therapist until I retired.
Currently I am creating hand sculpted bas-relief designs from byproduct plant fiber powders. Medium has the appearance of
carved stone, hand sculpted on stretched wood framed canvas and dried on a flat surface. A collage of natural objects is installed
into the soft medium after sculpting with pottery tools. Finished work with acrylic, or bio "green seal" paints. Sometimes
leaving it natural earth, plant or spiced colored, he seals it with acrylic clear coat. Enhancing his work with sand, glass,
stones and metallic finishes makes a beautiful natural contrast on the sculpted surface. His medium is composed of non-endangered
sustainable plant, wood, flowers, earth and stone.
His memorial artwork looks the same, but has cremated ashes interred into the medium. Ripley's Publishing featured his work
in their 8th edition 2012 Annual Ripley's Believe It or Not! strikingly true
Ripley's Entertainment exhibits his work in their Orlando, Florida and Hollywood, California museums. His abstract and expressionist
artwork is created with an inner vision and cultural symbolism. Action Painting takes place with each work. Layer upon layer
of various colors are applied to his medium. Various textures can be felt with your hands and explored with your eyes, like
discovering a stone relic from an archeological dig.
With interest in Mayan, Mixtec, and Zapotec cultures, he visited many archaeological sites. Mr. Ortega made a career change
in 1998 due to drafting transitioning to computerization. He relocated to Oaxaca, Mexico and learned holistic medicine from
healers and Nuad Bo-Rarn ancient Thailand bodywork. His artwork is an expression of earth medicine for him, using sustainable
natural resources such as industrial hemp and a coconut husk byproduct powder.
Earth Friendly Artwork is always evolving with new sustainable materials. Consider his artistic passion artwork a message
to conserve our natural resources. Artwork that honors the earth and all her relations in the circle of life. Restoring balance
to the planet and conserving our natural resources for future generations to enjoy is essential. Please respect the earth,
and recycle to help reduce carbon footprints.
Ripley's Entertainment exhibits his work in their
Orlando, Florida and Hollywood, California museums. His abstract and symbolic artwork is created with an inner vision
and cultural symbolism. Action Painting takes place with each work. Layer upon layer of various colors are applied to
his medium. Various textures can be felt with your hands and explored with your eyes, like discovering a stone relic
from an archeological dig.
With interest in Mayan, Mixtec, and Zapotec cultures, he visited many archaeological sites. Mr.
Ortega made a career change in 1998 due to drafting transitioning to computerization. He relocated to Oaxaca, Mexico
and learned holistic medicine from healers and Nuad Bo-Rarn ancient Thailand bodywork. His artwork is an expression
of earth medicine, using sustainable natural resources such as industrial hemp and a coconut husk byproduct powder.
Earth Friendly Artwork is always evolving with new sustainable
resources. Consider his artistic passion artwork as a "Save the Planet" message. Artwork that honors the earth and all her relations in the circle of life. Restoring balance
to the planet and conserving our natural resources for future generations to enjoy is essential. Please respect the
earth, and recycle to help reduce carbon footprints. |
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History of my Memorial Ashwork
In 1975, I was given the opportunity to work part time as a morticians assistant while
I attended Glendale Community College majoring in fine arts. Death is a profound spiritual transition, and the
disposition of the body a revered and sacred act. I became familiar with Tibetan and Egyptian myths concerning
the afterlife. As well as Navajo and; Mayan creation myths. Birth and death is a sacred journey of the spirit. Working in
a mortuary with the embalmers, cemeteries and crematoriums gave me a creative idea. I realized from
an artistic point of view there was the possibility of combinig art, death and ceremony. A recorded remembrance
like the ancients did. Hieroglyphic communication carved in stone by ancient cultures was another
inspiration for my hand carved and sculpted medium. I developed the medium to create artwork using
sustainable byproduct powders from the earth as a tribute to all our relations in the circle of life. My artwork continues
to evolve as an abstract and symbolic expression of nature, man and mythology.
"Sufi Heart" is a tribute
to my niece who loved nature and animals . She enjoyed exploring the mountains of Oaxaca,
Mexico. A portion of her ashes are installed in this Stone of Light artwork above.
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Organic Earth Work
Generally I use conventional primer, paints and fixatives on my organic
medium. I now offer the use of organic paint, primer and fixative. Earthstone is my hand
sculpted non-painted medium. Tinted with spices, earth, fruits and plants, metallic highlights, colored sand and
a clear finish (fixative) is applied. Earthstone is a new addition to my Earth Friendly Artwork.
Form & Function
My artwork can look like masonry, carved hieroglyphics,
stela's, or petroglyphs from ancient cultures, and inspired by observing the composition of stones and rocks
in natural environments. My mixed media contains the essence of earth's elements which I use
to honor our planet in a symbolic form.
Certified Green Artwork
I hope that you enjoy my Earth Friendly Artwork as a statement
to restoring balance and harmony to our beautiful planet. My proprietary formulas are a combination of organic earth elements
certified to be 100% Green (environmentally safe). If you choose the line of Green Seal certified primer, paints and
fixative, you will have an environmentally safe 100% green work of art to display proudly as completely earth friendly.
With 40% volume solids and green seal certification, the Green Seal paint performs
like a premium conventional paint yet is low odor, has no harmful chemicals, and no added solvents. It exceeds green seal
standards for performance and VOC levels.
VOC's are the solvents in paint which evaporate easily at room temperature –the stinky
stuff, bad for people and the environment. VOCs are thought to be contributors to the depletion of the ozone layer, as well
as contributors to poor indoor air quality.
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tcmirage@gmail.com
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