Labeling Hector Ortega a sculptor is, well, problematic. The 47-year-old Phoenix native creates sculptures, sure, but that hardly scratches the surface of his multifaceted art career. Ortega is also a well-established jewelry maker and metalsmith. So well-established that he’s actually known primarily as a metalsmith outside of fine art circles.
Explaining the dichotomy, Ortega says, “Metalworking skills are the basis of everything I do with sculpture. It’s using mind-hand skills, while also emphasizing ornamentation.”
Not only does Ortega sculpt steel and make jewelry, he also makes his own tools, including intricate metal stamps for jewelry making — and the equipment necessary to use those tools, such as a 15th-century-style anvil. Ortega started fabricating tools in his early 20s when he was studying CAD (computer-aided design) to become an architect, because he wasn’t satisfied with the available options.
The transition from architecture to art wasn’t exactly accidental. Ortega’s father is an architect and, growing up, his playmates were the sons of Chris Coover and R.J. “Bob” Bacon, who designed the Heard Museum and Boulders Resort & Spa, respectively. “I started in CAD for money and thought I’d do art on the side. I was afraid it wouldn’t provide a solid living,” Ortega says. “When I started making tools out of necessity, I realized it wasn’t a big leap to metalsmithing, and then to steel sculpture. I think very differently from most creatives.”
Today, Ortega still very literally has his hands in multiple fires. He makes metal stamps, designs silver jewelry and custom just-about-anything (most recently, an elaborate Game of Thrones-esque crown), teaches metalsmithing and creates large-scale steel sculptures – two of which can be found at Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch Resort in Tucson.
What’s next for Ortega? Without hesitation, he says, “I want to engrave sculptures. No one’s doing that.”
Learn more at ortegasculpture.com and follow Ortega on Instagram @silverliningmetalstamps.
