Virgil Ortiz (Cochiti)
Velocity Jar, 2012
Clay, slip, and paint
10 x 18 x 9 in.
Denver Art Museum: Gift from Vicki and Kent Logan to the Collection of the Denver Art Museum, 2016.116
©Virgil Ortiz
Photography ©Denver Art Museum

height: 10 in, 25.4000 cm; width: 18 in, 45.7200 cm; depth: 9 in, 22.8600 cm

Native Arts

Indigenous Arts of North America

Virgil Ortiz’s material choices and techniques draw from the past, while his imagery is both contemporary and futuristic. In making his figures, Ortiz uses locally sourced clay, wild spinach for paint, a coil construction for the form, and native outdoor firing techniques. The figures here demonstrate Ortiz’s mastery of traditional techniques, while his complex and intricate line work speaks of a style all his own. 

Virgil Ortiz, Cochiti, NM, 2012; King Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ, about 2012; Vicki and Kent Logan, Scottsdale, AZ, 2012; Denver Art Museum, 2016

• "Virgil Ortiz: Revolution- Rise Against the Invasion," Colorado College, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs, CO, 10/6/2018-1/6/2019