Henry Portillo | Born, raised and educated in the Bronx, NY.
email: hportilloa@gmail.com

My work is a mythological narrative revolving around a pantheon of “gawds,” a family of flawed yet vulnerable deities tasked with preserving a world where humans and monsters coexist peacefully after generations of fighting and hostility. This narrative allows me to explore themes of inequality, individuality, the collective unconscious and interpersonal relationships. 

Part self-portraiture, their stories as they endure an existential crisis that plagues so many of us, their embrace of vices to suppress these emotions and ultimately, the beauty in their ability to adapt and persevere together, is key in my work. 

I spend many hours refining character designs, brainstorming scenarios, and organizing compositions. Many of my “gawds” have recurring roles in my narrative, so I look to past prints for references, and search for opportunities to re-contextualize my works when possible. The initial sketches are digitally drawn, and for etchings, I’ve created a custom pen brush, mimicking the exact texture that bitten lines produce on a plate. I then use digital halftones in separate layers to gauge how I will aquatint the plate. Experimenting with paper options, chine-collé, and ink consistency is where the digital gives way for the traditional. After I pull a successful artist proof, editioning begins. 

I’ve slowly begun moving to electro-etching as a means to transition to a safer and environmentally friendly process.

education
2019 Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking, Lehman College, Bronx, NY
2013 Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and Education, Lehman College, Bronx, NY

exhibitions
2021 The Sacred Masculine, Group Exhibition, BronxArtSpace, Bronx, NY
2019 Printmaker’s Anonymous GSS, Group Exhibition, The Gowanus Studio Space, Brooklyn, NY
2019 Thesis Show, Group Exhibition, Lehman College, Bronx, NY
2018 NYPL | Infinite Archive, Group Exhibition, Brooklyn, NY
2018 HYDROPUNK // ART EXPO II, Group Exhibition, Bronx, NY
2017 Fantasy Fountain Fund Sculptures, Group Exhibition, St. John Cathedral, New York, NY
2017 EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop Monitor Show, Group Exhibition, New York, NY
2016 HYDROPUNK // ART EXPO, Group Exhibition, Bronx, NY

teaching and lectures
2022 Part-Time Faculty, Parsons School of Design, Screenprinting
2021 Part-Time Faculty, Parsons School of Design, Intro to Printmaking
2017-21 Workshop Instructor, Printmaking, The Gowanus Studio Space, Brooklyn, NY
2021 Artist Talk, BronxArtSpace, Bronx, NY
2018 Visiting Artist, Riverdale Arts Association, Bronx, NY
2016-17 Teaching Artist, Comics, Westchester Square Art Center, Bronx, NY
2015-17 Teaching Artist, Printmaking and Photography, Xposure Foundation, Bronx, NY
2014-15 Teaching Artist, East Side House Settlement, Bronx NY

awards and residencies
2019 Best in Show MA/MFA 2019 Thesis, Lehman College, Bronx, NY
2017 BIG INK, The Ink Shop Printmaking Center & Olive Branch Press, Ithaca, NY
2013-14 Sculpting with Wax/Casting with Bronze, Residency, Modern Art Foundry, Astoria, Queens