Welcome to Wet Paint! Art Studio—a vibrant art studio where creativity and learning come together! Serving the lower Manhattan community since 1999, we blend classical and contemporary art approaches to spark imagination, build skills, and explore a variety of materials and techniques. Inspired by art history and today’s ever-evolving art scene, our classes focus on observation and experimentation. Classes are taught by experienced artists in small groups in our Tribeca loft studio.
Wet Paint! Art Studio was co-founded in 1999 by artists Leticia and Dionisio Cortes:
Leticia Ortega Cortes, NYC based artist, holds art studies from Cooper Union, School of Visual Arts and Parsons School of Design in New York City, and from diverse cultural centers in Mexico. She earned an Architectural degree at Coahuila State University in Mexico. Leticia has held numerous exhibitions in the United States, Mexico and Italy. She had a solo show in 2002 at the Museum of Cultures in Saltillo, Coah., MX. Her work was selected for the First Biennial Olga Costa in the Museo Jose Chavez Morado, Guanajuato, Gto, MX. She has received prizes and awards in painting and sculpture at the Vitro Art Center, Monterrey, MX and received 1st prize for in designing an Educational Center in Coahuila, MX. Her work forms part of public and private collections including the permanent collections of Vitro Art Center, Monterrey MX and Coahuila Cultural Institute, Saltillo, Coah., MX. She has curated several exhibitions and has participated as juror of art competitions. She has taught art at several institutions including: American School and El Nix in Coahuila MX, and Wet Paint! Art Studio in NYC. Her work is represented by John Davis Gallery. You can see her work at: www.leticiaortega.com
Dionisio Cortes holds a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from Hunter College, CUNY, and a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the Coahuila State University in Mexico. Dionisio has held numerous exhibitions in the United Sates, Mexico and Italy. His installation work has been shown at different venues including Monterrey, Saltillo, Aguascalientes, and Puebla in Mexico. Mr. Cortes is recipient of numerous prestigious awards including an Honorary Mention at the Monterrey Biennial in Mexico and several prizes at the Vitro Art Center also in Monterrey. His work forms part of public and private collections. He has curated numerous exhibitions and has participated as juror in a number of art competitions. His cultural and educational projects have received grants from several foundations including the National Council for Culture and Arts in Mexico City, and the Coahuila Cultural Institute. He has taught at several institutions including the Tlaxcala Cultural Institute, the American School of Saltillo, El Nix, the Coahuila Cultural Institute, and at Wet Paint! Art Studio in NYC. His work is represented by John Davis Gallery.
Wet Paint Art Studio teachers and staff:
Dionisio Cortes Ortega is an architect, artist, and educator, serving as an adjunct instructor at the Cooper Union and co-founder of Reform Architecture, a Bronx-based multidisciplinary design practice. Focused on conscientious design, Reform Architecture emphasizes questioning and creative exploration. Current projects include a dance school in Michoacán, a repurposed church community center in Brooklyn, and historic restorations in Manhattan. A 2009 graduate of The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, Dionisio is a registered architect in New York and a member of the AIA Bronx Chapter. You can see his work at: www.dionisioco.com/drawing
Mauricio Cortes is a long time New Yorker, artist and educator. He attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, graduated with a BFA from Cooper Union and received his MFA from Yale School of Art in 2016. He was a teacher resident at Casa Wabi in Oaxaca, Mexico, a teacher assistant at the Yale Norfolk summer school in Connecticut, and has led art workshops in Mexico City, Taos, NM and at art centers in NYC like The Loisaida Center. He is currently faculty and chair of the visual arts program at the Berkeley Carroll School in BK. Check out his artwork at: www.mcortesortega.com
