Emilia Ortiz

Emilia Ortiz Pérez (Tepic, 1917 – Tepic, November 24, 2012) was a Nayarit Mexican painter, cartoonist, caricaturist, and poet, best known for her watercolors she made of the indigenous groups in her area, and the caricatures she created from an early age of political figures and those she knew. Emilia would go on to create over 4,000 works that varied in subject matter. Her father, Abraham D. Ortiz, had arrived at Tepic originally from Oaxaca where he married Elvira Perez and engaged in haberdashery and the hardware trade. Emilia studied painting at the Academy of San Carlos in Mexico City. Her drawings and paintings were exhibited in 1940. An author as well, her prizewinning book, De mis soledades vengo, was published in 1986. The Museo Emilia Ortiz in Lerdo houses Ortiz's photography and art, as well as local art. She is survived by her daughter Gabriela, who is the current curator of the Contemporary Art Center Emilia Ortiz.

Biography Emilia Ortiz was born to Abraham D. Ortiz, a relative of Porfirio Diaz, and Elvira Perez, a painter and pianist, on February 10, 1917 in Tepic, Nayarit. They had five children; Emilia, Estela, Susana, Elvira, Abraham, and Yolanda. Emilia was interested in the art from an early age, starting a love for dancing that soon changed to acting while also creating caricatures. Emilia was a part of the "Cabaret Nights" she organized at the nearby Tepic Casino, eventually being crowned the Tepic Carnival Queen, that was passed to another local girl, Sarita Pantoja, since a relative had recently passed. To foster her love of acting, Emilia was part of Alfredo Castillo's theater group where they performed works by; Garcia Lorca, Basurto, Villaurrutia, and Pirandello.

Artistic career Emilia received her first commission at a young age. At only 10 she was asked by a worker at Casa de Aguirre to help design a logo for worker pants. The image she was asked to create was of a boy whose pants were being bit by a dog as he climbed a latter to showcase the durability of the pants. The people she chose to create the caricatures of were Everado Pena Navarro, Chema Suarez, Dr. Izaguirre y Rojo, Pepito Ruvalcaba, and Juan Maisterrena. The Museum's address is Miguel Hidalgo No. 17, Centro, Tepic, Nayarit. It has free admission and is open Tuesdays through Sundays. The museum contains workshops and conferences in conjunction with the displayed artworks. The State Art Gallery along with the Nayarit Plastic Workshop in the museum is where courses on photography, painting and drawing are taught.

Exhibitions Source: Has a library named after them, the Emilia Ortiz.

Publications

Author

De mis soledades vengo (1985). A set of poems that were free-verses about the different things Emilia has experienced in life, from her childhood to being a grandmother, she tells of what she saw and key associations with them. "Piper and Wormwood" section of the Gap newspaper

Gallery