Alternate Realism: Denise Ortega Solo Show

Venue: Push/Pull, 2000 MW Market St
Artist: Denise Ortega
August 18th 6pm - 9pm
More event info: https://www.meetup.com/events-at-push-pull-ballard/events/287003183/​

Stop into Push/Pull for the opening of Denise Ortega's Alternate Realism, August 18th 6pm - 9pm! Opening during Third Thursday by Bal-Art. The show is up through September 13th.

Artist Bio

Denise is a Seattle based artist who, after taking a long hiatus from creating, rekindled her relationship with art 5 years ago. She began to use and see art as a therapeutic form of introspection and expression and grew to love the subtle ways it could calm her tumultuous mind in a bustling city. Her staple tools were pencil and micron pens, but later she branched out into watercolors, copics, and eventually digital illustration. Alternate Realism is Denise’s first solo show which highlights the ways she has been able to use art to express and heal over the past few years.

Each piece evokes raw emotions that tell a story of an individual struggling to find peace within themselves and the world around them. Nestled amongst what might seem like ordinary backgrounds and portraits are traces of things gone slightly awry, blood splatters and bandages, things not being what they seem.

Denise hopes that in sharing these pieces, she can open a dialogue about mental health awareness and the importance that art and creativity can play in all our lives. For Denise, art has been an invaluable tool which has allowed her to endure, cope with, and heal from the struggles that she experiences. She wishes it can be just as invaluable to others.

Artist Statement

My relationship with art has always been my most freeing. While in many other aspects I find myself comparing my abilities and experiences with others, art has always been a place I come to be myself, and to be alone. I find myself especially drawn to portraits, and am always consumed in capturing the subject’s gaze and expression, adding bits and pieces of my personality and objects from my life here and there (a clothing patch, a bandage, a ghost pin). I’ve only recently become aware of the inner peace and meditative states I’ve been able to achieve while creating. I hope that by showcasing my work I am able to share my experience with others and encourage them to see and try art as a therapeutic practice for themselves.

Artwork by Denise Ortega