Art & Life with Sabrina Ortiz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sabrina Ortiz.

Sabrina, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
My story began in the lovely heart of South Phoenix. Arizona in March of 1995; I was born the oldest twin of two girls to a single Hispanic mother. Growing up in a Hispanic household, exciting occasions like quinceñeras and family get-togethers were always a great opportunity to catch on film. I would see my family members continuously gathering for pictures and that’s when I became fascinated with cameras. The idea of this machine catching a moment on film was always very interesting to me. It was like that exact memory would last a lifetime. As I grew older, my mom would buy disposable cameras specifically for me so I could join in on taking photos of our family as we continued to celebrate each other throughout the year. From then on, I just completely fell in love with taking, in my mind, not so much as “photographs” but instead, memories.

I was sixteen years old when my great-grandmother died and following the span of seven years, I lost a total of five members of my immediate family, a few due to alcohol abuse. After their deaths, my family was not what it used to be and it left me feeling very empty and heartbroken. Every picture taken is now a memory, a moment that will never be forgotten thanks to and because of my love for photography, I very much enjoy looking back at old photos and being able to remember how warm I felt in the moments I had with my loved ones who are no longer with me.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
In my most recent series, Welcome Home, I go back to my family home that has been abandoned for 17 years. This all started when my grandfather developed Alzheimer’s and my grandmother had a stroke around the same time when I was around 6 years old. At that point, my grandparents needed urgent medical attention so we moved closer to the care facility they were in. This series takes you on a journey throughout the house that holds loving, and welcoming memories. In my work, I like my audience to see a different side of life that is not often seen or thought about.

What responsibility, if any, do you think artists have to use their art to help alleviate problems faced by others? Has your art been affected by issues you’ve concerned about?
With everything going on in the world today I think my role as an artist is to show people the harsh reality of life and capture images that people don’t want to see or think about. If I can get the viewers to think about what they are seeing then maybe it would inspire a change in the world.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Everyone can view my work on my website sabrinamariephotographs.com or on my Instagram account @sabrinamariephotographs.

Contact Info:

• Address: Phoenix, AZ
• Website: sabrinamariephotographs.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sabrinamariephotographs/

Image Credit:
Sabrina Ortiz

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