Mathew Ortiz moved to Los Angeles after graduating from Kamehameha Schools in 2002 to attend Loyola Marymount University. Feeling the need as an artist to be "knee deep in the lo'i of culture," he returned home in 2004 to complete his Bachelor of Fine Arts at UH Manoa. Mathew is the first person in his family to earn a degree and is appreciative of the Native Hawaiian Visual Arts scholarship he received from KAPF because it allows him to "fret less about paying and concentrate more on creating."

Art has been integral in Mathew's personal search for identity. "I want to express how my life – my identity, exists within the reciprocating triad of Akua, Ohana and 'Aina. I want to use my art to inspire others to take pride in their Hawaiian identity and to develop their own ideas of what it means to be Hawaiian in modern times."

I am proud to be a Kanaka Maoli artist! I am always looking for opportunities to augment my expressive capacity in a way that both reflects and defines my personal cultural experience. Through expanding upon the knowledge of those who came before and by networking with fellow Kanaka Maoli artists today, my goal is to be a better artist tomorrow. I am fortunate in that I have had the honor of knowing and learning from other more experienced Kanaka Maoli artists, who like myself are picking up the pieces, moving forward and attempting to shape the future.

Mathew has graciously allowed KAPF to use several of his evocative images in the 2005-2006 Annual Report. Mahalo!