The Innate Colors of Fauna

My name is Brian Ortmann, I am a self-taught artist who grew up and lives in Springs, East Hampton on the East End of Long Island.  After graduating from High School, I began to work in an architecture firm as a draftsman.  Working at the architect’s office taught me new skills in design, balance, and creativity.  This job helped to spark a lost passion for creating art from my childhood and I decided to go back to school to focus solely on it.  I have received an associate degree in computer arts from Suffolk County Community College and I plan to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in studio arts from Stony Brook University this Spring.

With our fast-paced lives it is easy to take for granted the enormous ecological diversity that exists right outside our homes. Living on the East End of Long Island has given me a love for the nature and animals that inhabit this area.  These animals all have their own unique array of colors which allow them to be camouflaged in their environment, protect themselves from natural elements, or even stand out and warn other animals.  This evolutionary effect creates brilliant color variations in any one of the millions of different species of animals that live on this planet.  In my body of work, I choose to highlight the innate color in these animals and attempted to portray their individual beauty.  I included a self-portrait in order not to exclude the human race which portrays an endless array of color.

Title: Canadian Goose, Date: November 2020, Dimensions: 18” x 24”, Medium: Acrylic on canvas

Title: Wild Turkey, Date: November 2020, Dimensions: 18” x 24”, Medium: Acrylic on canvas

Title: Self Portrait, Date: November 2020, Dimensions: 18” x 24”, Medium: Acrylic on canvas

Title: Red Fox, Date: November 2020, Dimensions: 18” x 24”, Medium: Acrylic on canvas

Title: White-Tailed Deer, Date: November 2020, Dimensions: 18” x 24”, Medium: Acrylic on canvas