Printmaking
Etchings, Silkscreens, and Lithographs
Tony Ortega demonstrates the process of printing an etching plate at Art Gym in Denver, revealing the craftsmanship, experimentation, and layered storytelling that define his printmaking practice.
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Printmaking
My prints integrate digital image development with traditional printmaking techniques to create layered images that explore history, identity, memory, and the complexity of the Chicano experience. I use digital tools to compose and refine imagery before transferring it to plates, screens, stones, or relief blocks, where each print is created through the physical process of hand-pulled printmaking. Working in hand-colored etching, silkscreen, relief printmaking, and lithography, I combine expressive drawing, vibrant color, and bold compositions that invite viewers to discover new relationships between image and meaning.
My creative process embraces distortion, exaggeration, and dynamic color to convey emotion and movement. By weaving together symbols, icons, and visual references from both Mexican and American cultures, I create prints that celebrate cultural hybridity while encouraging viewers to look beyond the familiar and discover new layers of meaning within each image.
My creative process embraces distortion, exaggeration, and dynamic color to convey emotion and movement. By weaving together symbols, icons, and visual references from both Mexican and American cultures, I create prints that celebrate cultural hybridity while encouraging viewers to look beyond the familiar and discover new layers of meaning within each image.
A selection of hand-colored etchings, silkscreens, relief prints, and lithographs spanning more than three decades of my printmaking practice—from the 1990s to the present.
Printing Bonampak Cholo, a large-scale woodblock print (36" x 29"), with Big Ink at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, April 7, 2024. This collaborative printing event celebrates the physical process, scale, and community tradition of relief printmaking.
Tony Ortega | Printmaking Featured Artist at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, Arvada CO
The artist retains copyright to the images displayed on this Web site. They may be used for non-commercial purposes if credit is given to the artist. For commercial purposes, please contact Tony Ortega for permission to reproduce, publicly display, copy, distribute or otherwise use such images.