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Cortez  was born on the south side of Chicago, I grew up painting and drawing from the age of five. From 1974 through 2001 he devoted 27 years to being an engineer at Exelon, a local electric utility company, where he designed substations first as a draftsman, and later as a project engineer. If you look closely at his work, you can almost see his facility as a draftsman in his lines and in the way he engineers the design in his painting techniques. His fine sketches and body of finished work demonstrates a confidence in his medium, and a unique developed style. Since retirement as an engineer, Cortez has emerged as a full time artist, owner, digital designer, and the publisher of Artez Art works. Cortez graduated from Benedictine University. He excelled at painting and digital art design as he developed as an artist at the College of DuPage.
In addition to his many successful solo art exhibitions at local galleries, he has held a recent exhibition at the Health4Life Wellness Center in collaboration with the City of Chicago’s Artists Month 2007. His work can be seen on at Health4life and other businesses throughout the Chicago area. Cortez’s art work has been shown at the Museum of Science and Industries Black Creativity juried art showing for the past two years (2006 & 2007), and has received awards and honorable mention in recognition for his exceptional and outstanding ability. Cortez’s art work has also been shown in Art Business News, The Red Eye, NowPublic.com, The Chicago Reader and he is an active member of the Illinois Artisans.
"Looking back, I have the temperament of an African American raised on the south side of Chicago, who sees the world as hopes and dreams. When I paint, I demonstrate in medium a style in part influenced by the great masters and my childhood vision of the super natural."In the past seven months Cortez and his art work has been featured in Chicago Artist Month magazine, the Art Business New, the Reader news paper and the Red eye an edition of the Chicago Tribune."I believe that the soul of an artist can come through his paint brush strokes on to canvas. My passion for creating a painting can only be stimulated by a strong desire to tell a story.   I do this by shutting my eyes to the world as we know it, and opening up to the forces which are unseen, my invisible, intangible, world of universal divine substance". 

 Exhibitions:

Bronzeville, Chicago (2004) Neleh ArtisticExpression Gallery Bronzville 

(2005) ,The Hot House, Down town Chicago

(2006) R.J. Gallery, Chatham Chicago,

(2006) Robert Morris, State Street Gallery, Solo exhibition Loop, Chicago,

(2006-07) Black Creativity, Museum of Science and Industry juried art show.

 (2007-08)  Chicago Artist Month, Solo exhibition  Health4life, Old Town Chicago 1522 N. Halsted St.

South Side Community Art Center #831 S. Michigan Ave. Chicago (2008)