Welcome to another episode

In this episode I get to speak with renowned portrait painter Frank Ordaz. You may have seen him recently in his new educational video, “The one hour lay in.” I watched it and took a lot of notes.

Frank had an interesting and enviable start to his career as a matte painter for George Lucas’s Industrial Light and Magic. Frank is a warm and generous person, and the interview was a pleasure. What struck me the most in part one was throughout the evolution of Frank’s career from one incredible opportunity to the next, he never lost sight of his goals, even when he had to make crucial decisions along the way that others may not have understood at the time, Frank stayed on course and true to his vision for his life.

I’ve broken this interview into two parts for your convenience. As always, part two is available for your convenience at passionatepainterpodcast.com/episode40.

BIO
Frank P. Ordaz grew up in Southern California . At the age of 12 he studied with portrait artist Theodore N. Lukits.

It was at the Lukits academy that Frank was introduced to the academic method of painting from plaster casts and from life. He was later mentored by landscape painter Sam Hyde Harris who was noted for his tonal quality of light.

Frank attended the University of Southern California and graduated from the Art Center College of Design in 1980. He began painting for George Lucas’s Special Effects Company Industrial Light and Magic where he worked on such Oscar winning motion pictures as E.T. and Return of the Jedi .

In 1986 he was recognized with an Emmy for his matte paintings in the Ewok Movie. His painting style is heavily influenced by his time working on cinematic movie features. He has continued the tradition of early California Artists in painting in the field and learning firsthand the qualities and mysteries of Light. Frank also has a passion for Art History and the artists place in the continued evolution of painting Styles. His paintings are a celebration of life and the profound influence of light in animating our emotions and responses to our environment.

Painting, for Ordaz, has a spiritual and philosophical component . His portrait faces explore the identities of his subjects trying to go beyond the surface of skin and his landscapes are metaphors for the vastness of space that is ever changing yet captured and bound in a painting. His work harkens back to the Romantic Movement where the response is more than intellectual, but something that smacks you in the gut; where paint is translated to rock or flesh or sky. What a triumph of human invention is painting!

CONTACT FRANK:
Email: ursusgeewiz@gmail.com
Website: https://Ordazart.com
Facebook (optional): https://www.facebook.com/frankordazart
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/FrankOrdaz7
Studio Address: 843 Lincoln Way , Auburn, Ca, 95603, United States