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Gurabo.- Although Arturo Ortiz‘s world is dark, his mind and creativity see the light in each of his creations. At 77 years old, this blind artisan from Gurabo continues to perfect his talents, proving that there are no limits when there is desire to excel.

Ortiz is the first blind artisan certified by the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company and the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture (ICP) and stands out in three areas: basket weaving, woodturning, and woven hammocks.

His specialty, however, is woodturning; he creates pilones, tostoneras (a wooden instrument used to flatten fried plantains), candelabra, razor sets for shaving, goblets, and his specialty, which is pens made from local woods, deer horn, moose horn, and acrylic. He also makes traditional toys such as spinning tops, yoyos, the cup-and-ball, and others.

The most surprising aspect is that Ortiz learned these skills after going blind in 1973, when he was 26 years old.

“It happened because I contracted meningitis after doing a job for a friend of mine in New York. I had to make a boiler run, so I hammered a pipe, I breathed in the fumes, and there was probably pigeon droppings in there, which causes meningitis. I spent two years in Roosevelt Hospital. They even prepared my tomb back here in Puerto Rico to bring my corpse, but God got me off that bed. I am a miracle of God. It has been 50 years since then. Even those that prepared my tomb are already gone, and I’m still here,” said the septuagenarian.

A year after facing that adversity, in 1974, Ortiz returned to the island with his wife, María de Los Ángeles Cruz, and their two children, Arturo Ortiz and Daisy Ortiz. He did not remain idle; instead, he began to look for ways to develop himself in different areas in order to support his family.

“When I went blind, my children were young, so I started thinking about what I was going to do. Since my father was a farmer in the countryside, he had to be a craftsman with his tools, plus he made the woven rope for the cattle, among other things, and I had that in my mind. And since the brain is like a computer that archives knowledge, and when you need it, your brain just takes it out of the archive and puts it into practice, that’s what I did. I had all that on file and, little by little, I developed myself,” explained Ortiz, who began with the art of basket weaving.

“By the 1970s rattan was in its heyday and I had a brother-in-law who made furniture, so I started making woven wicker and rattan lamps for the dining room and the living room. That’s when I branched out to basket weaving,” said the artisan.

Along with basket weaving, Ortiz used to weave hammocks, an art form he knows perfectly, but he had to put aside because it takes him a long time to make them. He then decided to devote himself to woodturning, which is his passion.

“Woodturning is what I enjoy the most. I was given a wood lathe, so I started practicing by myself until I perfected my craft. Currently, my focus is creating pens out of local woods, deer horn, and acrylic, as well as basket weaving,” said the artisan, who works from his workshop, which is located in his backyard. However, he has taught his craft, and he offers woodturning workshops at AGM University in Gurabo, as well as in several schools.

In fact, Ortiz’s work has also crossed the seas, since his pieces have reached different parts of the world.

“I get a lot of orders from companies in Puerto Rico and the United States, but I also export my pieces to other countries. There are pilones of mine in Saudi Arabia and Germany. There are pens of mine in the Middle East; there’s an Arab girl who owns some land here, in Guavate, and she exports wood, as well as my pens”, the artist proudly pointed out.

Certainly, each piece is a work of art and it is impressive to see how don Arturo handles such dangerous and complex tools as the lathe and the saw, among other machinery that could be intimidating for people. However, he operates them with great confidence; he knows them well and handles them with dexterity.

“I have developed my sense of touch and my sense of hearing; right now my ears are somewhat affected, but blind people mostly develop touch and their facial sense, which hasn’t been recognized, but I think it is so, and it’s an important sense. I know when the piece is finished, by touch and by smell,” said Arturo, who has received awards such as the Martin Luther King Award in 2013, Artesano Típico de Puerto Rico, as well as having been honored in his hometown and at the island’s Capitol.

It should be noted that Ortiz not only knows the process of creating his pieces, but also has vast knowledge of the woods he works with, and is always looking to learn in order to be able to craft quality pieces. “I own two encyclopedias, and there I have all the kinds of shrubs that can be found in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. So when I need some information, I get someone to help me identify the wood,” said the craftsman.

And, as he continues his work, Don Arturo keeps his enthusiasm for teaching what he knows alive. “I recommend people to find the way to draw from something in their life that can serve as support to overcome their crises. I give lectures and workshops in several universities, and I always stress that life goes on, that we need to keep our self-esteem up, and have something to keep the mind busy. Craftsmanship is something that keeps your mind active,” said the artisan.

For additional information, call 787-586-1213.