Local Artist Dedicates 30 Years to Sports, Now History

Tim Cortes has been an artist his whole life.

DULUTH, Minn.- If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when sports and art collide, one Duluth man can show you a perfect example.

The local took his two passions, hockey and drawing and made a career out of it for 30 years but is beginning to make a switch in his art to something he thinks is a little more meaningful.

You may not recognize born and raised Duluthian Tim Cortes walking down the street. What you may recognize is some of his art work plastered around the city.

The 9 paintings, 335 feet tall on the outside of the Essentia Heritage Sports Center are just one set of Cortes’ five thousand works of art he’s completed in 30 years.

“It’s been a lot of fun because I’ve gotten to meet a lot of people and I’m an athlete, so it’s been kind of  dream job for a guy who played sports and was an artist,” Cortes said.

Cortes got his first gig right out of college painting portraits for the hockey hall of fame.

His career didn’t slow down much after that.

“All I do is draw, do hockey, draw, do hockey, kids, family,” Cortes said.

All the magic happens in a studio in the basement of his home.

Cortes is ready to take a different approach to his art, now.

“Someday I’m not going to do the sports art anymore. I’m going to go be a big time Western artist out West, and I’ve been saying that for at least 25 years, never having the time to get to it,” he said.

He’s making the switch to history- American Indians and military. He says it has a different feel than sports art.

“This piece right here, if people know the movie Dances with Wolves, this is the bad guy from Dances with Wolves. The quintessential, real bad, tough American Indian warrior from the day… That’s my favorite piece that I think I’ve ever done,” Cortes said, referencing the piece of artwork.

His current project is a veteran piece for the Medal of Honor recipients in the Northland.

“What you’re looking at right here is the concept sketch that I do for them. The whole thing is going to be much bigger and in full color like you see of my other pieces,” Cortes said about the sketch.

Cortes has already made himself known out East with one piece inspired by the John Beargrease Sleddog Marathon. It’s hanging in the Smithsonian Museum.

“Just like every artist I want to be well known and thought of as a leader in whatever area that that I choose to pursue, be it sports, be it American Indians,” Cortes said.

He says he’s lucky he’s been able to do what he loves for so long.

“If you want to do this, you have to be ready to go out, to play the part, to be a professional,” Cortes said.

His advice to young artists is be passionate about what you do, but most importantly, be nice to people.

Tim Cortes plans on continuing his work in Duluth and hopes to send his pieces out West for display.

He’s still doing sports paintings here and there, but he’s ready to fully dedicate himself to his new path and see where it takes him.