Winter 2025

136 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 5 Growing Wings to Fly Hijos del Sol Suppor ts Children With Ar t and Community B Y B R E T T WI L BUR J osé Ortiz grew up in Mexico, in what he describes as a “box city,” working as a newspaper delivery boy at age four and very aware of the marginalization those of his indigenous culture experienced. His mother had left to work in the U.S. as a migrant farmworker, and he wouldn’t be reunited with her for many years. On a fortuitous day, a nun saw young Ortiz out delivering newspapers and invited him into a church where she intro- duced him to pencil and paper. “I had never seen paper without lines on it before,” he recalls. “She asked me to draw what I could see, and I haven’t stopped since. Illustration became my language. I drew what I saw and what I felt and what I imagined. It kept me very aware of my surroundings while I was wishing to be with my mother.” At age 10, Ortiz joined his mother, working with her in the fields of Salinas, a city she settled in and loved as “a place that gave her hope.” After not attending school in Mexico and without a knowledge of English, Ortiz started school for the first time in Salinas, learning English along the way. (Left to right) Andy Piñeros, Mia Jimenez and Dylan Jimenez with artwork they created at the nonprofit Hijos del Sol, which offers a free program encouraging children in the arts, open Tuesday-Saturday in Salinas.