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Coamo.- Some time ago, Felipe Rivera Ortiz received an email from the Holy See confirming one of the most significant milestones in his career as a visual artist. His work “Con la mirada puesta en el cielo” (“With Eyes Set on the Sky”) was accepted by the Vatican.

The letter sent by the Vatican’s Secretariat of State conveyed a message from Pope Francis expressing gratitude for the artwork handed to him on December 21, 2022 by the Three Wise Men of Juana Díaz.

During the encounter, the Holy Father expressed his astonishment at the essence captured in the oil painting inspired by his visage through the colors and brushstrokes of the 40-year-old virtuoso from Coamo.

“I was there when the Holy Father said, ‘You have captured me very well, I love the essence of this oil painting and what it conveys. What I see is beautiful.’ And he gifted me a rosary in exchange,” he recalled with emotion.

“It’s one of the greatest achievements for me as an artist, as an individual, as a human being; above all, it was that moment. It speaks volumes about what God’s hand has been in guiding my career and where it has taken me, without me having planned anything of that kind of project. The artwork is in the Vatican, and for me, that’s wonderful,” he expressed.

This educator’s career began when he was 11 years old. He wanted to financially help his parents, Norma Iris and Felipe de Jesús, who struggled to raise their six children. This is how Felipe became the youngest artisan in the country certified by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture in the category of wood painting.

Similarly, he mentioned the influence of his maternal uncle, Ángel Manuel, an artist and military man, who bequeathed him a collection of art books featuring the great masters of the Renaissance. “I learned by observing books, I was self-taught because I didn’t have an art teacher.”

In fact, in his early adolescence, he had the opportunity to share “live painting” with highly skilled Southern artists such as Wichie Torres and Moisés Castillo—both deceased—, with whom he exchanged ideas about the visual arts.

All of this influenced Rivera Ortiz to dream of becoming a priest.

“Although my work has always had a plastic tendency towards the spiritual, as a child, my desire was to become a priest and dedicate myself, to go to Rome to study sacred art. I enrolled in the seminary, but I discovered that the Lord had something else in store for me. In fact, my experience in the seminary was beautiful, but I was more passionate about turning art into a tool of evangelization, beyond sharing and parish life. I want people to also connect with their inner being,” said the graduate in Art Education from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico in Ponce.

“I worked with the figurative genre; I always liked the figure, the landscape, the classical genres of the academy. I always say that we are developing artists. We are not finished, we are in a process of change and growth with the plastic arts, with art, with painting, and with sculpture,” he added.

In 2015, Felipe won the silver medal for Puerto Rico at the Florence Biennale in Italy with a stunning piece from his SerEs series, which weighs over 1,500 pounds.

“I believe that an artist’s life evolves with their life experiences. Art is a reflection of who we are; it has to mirror our experiences, it has to come from within us, from the depths of our being. Above all, be honest. One of the things that gives art its greatest validity is the honesty of the artist and the unity of their work and life, that they travel along the same path,” he revealed.

Rivera Ortiz embarked on his journey towards sacred art in 2019. He was guided by Father Orlando Lugo, who, upon moving to the Santísimo Sacramento parish in Playa de Ponce, invited him to leave his mark for posterity.

“Father Orlando was always a fan of my contemporary artwork. That’s where the first projects for the main altar began to take shape. We dedicated the first two backgrounds to the prophet Elijah, and another one dedicated to the Lamb on the throne. He wanted to select non-traditional saints in particular, role models for young people,” he expressed.

Since then, he continues to find inspiration in sacred art.

“Sacred art allows me to convey a bit of language, a bit of energy, of light in a world that I find increasingly in need of connecting with what we are. This experience transcends our materiality, our bodies. It transcends the realm of religiosity. It’s what makes a difference in an individual’s life and helps them grow as a human being,” he concluded.

For more details: Felipe Rivera Ortiz Facebook and Instagram, and Feliperiveraortiz.com.