Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mariateresa Ortiz-naretto. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
MariaTeresa, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
When I look at my paintings, I observe in every stroke, swirl, and lump the resilience that moves me to show up at my studio daily. The last 5 years of my life have been continuous tests of acceptance and perseverance. My marriage ended, I lost my home, my children went to college, my inner circle changed, and I moved my art studio 4 times. Maybe the worst part of all my storms is over because I have never said all together in one sentence. My paintings drive me to keep trying harder every day. I enjoy the process of creating because I work in solitude for hours. In fact, those hours at my studio have encouraged me to face my ghosts. I went through very difficult trials in such a short time, but I became capable of finding inside myself an intriguing corpus of artworks based upon my life. And that is what makes me proud. I believe that my paintings depict my resilience. They are the testimony of my story, including the parts I kept in silence. Above all, my paintings clearly speak aloud the story of my soul.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a New Jersey based artist, who is originally from South America. I have painted my whole life, but my training began at the age of 9. Cold wax and oil are the main mediums I use for creating my artworks.
My technique is mainly impasto in which sculptural surfaces show diverse moods. The Old Master Drawings and Paintings with a 20th Century textured language are my stylistic influences.
Besides of studying artists and their artworks, the most important activity I perform every day is to enjoy Art. I have fun in my studio. Many times, I found myself dancing in front of my canvases to discover the images that finally became my artworks.
Lastly, I would like to invite the readers to my upcoming solos. In January, Hackensack Performing Arts Center of New Jersey proudly celebrates my Women Goddesses Series. Soon after, in February, the Johnson Public Library Art Gallery in Hackensack, New Jersey, gladly presents my Los Amantes Series. I am going to be part of group exhibitions around New York and New Jersey during the year. And all these exhibitions are open to public and announced in my Instagram account.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I should say that my strongest quality is to be a hard worker person. I wake up every day about 6:00 am. Soon after that, I head directly to my studio to paint for hours. When my children are at their colleges, I continue working from home. I think that shows how passionate I am. I love art, so I Art. I always find time to walk, study, read, go to museums, visit my artists friends, and also write a book about one of them. I couldn’t do anything without being a passionate person. Finally, I must add that I have a strong determination to finish my endeavors. I always write long lists with my plans, all of them. As soon as I conclude a task, I add another one. That silly game of jotting lists, marking every complete task, and throwing my notes away leads me to do more and more.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
There have been many people I should mention because I have been able to bring them together at this point of my life. I think I wouldn’t have grown as the woman I am without their teachings. Adriana Torregiani, my art teacher who showed me how to paint, is the woman who impacted on my artistic career even though I regrettably walked away from her studio. My abuela Lala showed me that crochet, embroidery, and knitting were much more than being a good wife. She enhanced her creations to masterpieces in a way that I always loved. I believe that my passion for art was born out of her passion to create weavings. Olga Sanchez de la Vega, who was the Head department of Registrar in the Fine Arts Museum of Buenos Aires at the time I worked there, is the inspiration to catalog the artworks of Ruth Bauer Neustadter. Olga taught me organization and discipline, which I have embraced with the same love she showed me to do this job. Most importantly, my children have given me the reason to keep trying harder. They are my life force.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mtonpaintings.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mton_193/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariateresa.ortiznaretto.1
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