Local artist holds exhibition along with Lawton’s birthday

An art exhibit by local artist Ryn Ortega will be held in conjunction with Lawton’s birthday celebration Thursday.

The opening event will be a part of the celebration, giving citizens the opportunity to browse the art show before the award presentation, the release said. The celebration will honor the city’s heritage and spotlight the community’s creative talents.

Along with being an artist, Ortega also is an illustrator and designer, the release said. Ortega’s background as an equestrian inspires her traditional pieces, which were showcased in various exhibitions throughout the state. Her notable achievements include a mural in Oklahoma City’s Plaza District and numerous digital illustrations for clients worldwide.

“An aspect of art that I thoroughly enjoy is the artists’ evolution,” Ortega said in the release. “This body of work reflects my journey as an artist. I have trialed a variety of media, surfaces and techniques over the years. Although the subjects within this series of paintings are the same, the way they were created is unique to every piece. I challenge the viewer to uncover the differences between each painting, and perhaps you will find a remnant of the artist that I am today hidden among the brushstrokes of the past and present.”

Ortega said Jason Poudrier, Arts and Humanities Administrator, reached out to Matt Hughes, executive director of the Leslie Powell Gallery, to use the art for the auditorium.

Born and raised in Lawton, Ortega has been creating art most of her life, but started getting serious about it in the past decade.

“I’ve been drawing since I was a little kid,” Ortega said. “I was always in art classes throughout middle school and high school and didn’t know I was going to college for it but went ahead and went after.”

Ortega said she got her love of horses from her mother.

“Throughout the years, my mom was always into horses, so I got it from her,” Ortega said. “I took lessons, showed a little bit and was rodeo queen for the Lawton Rangers back in 2011.”

Ortega said she gets her inspiration from music and other artwork.

“A few years back, I went to the National Cowboy Art Museum, up in the City,” Ortega said. “I started experimenting with my backgrounds. I don’t remember the painting’s title but they have a painting in their permanent collection, I think it’s a German painting. They have the figure in the front and the background looks like it’s whited out along the edges.”

Ortega said 2020 put a pause on her traditional work, which led her to focus more on digital and illustrative work.

“I think I’m ready to start creating more traditional pieces and showcasing them,” Ortega said. “If it doesn’t, then I’m planning for it to just inspire me to make more art. I just like to make stuff.”

For more information, contact Jason Poudrier, Arts and Humanities Administrator at (580) 581-3470 or at [email protected].