Ijania Cortez was born July 31, 1990 in Detroit Michigan. At an early age she was encouraged to pursue art from her early teachers, and began to study on her own. Though she lost touch with her craft in her high school years, with encouragement from peers, she began to create art again in 2012.

Rediscovering her passion, she began teaching herself through strenuous study. She hosted her first solo exhibition, A Summer Nativity, in July 2017.

Focusing on portraiture, the artist’s work uses vibrant colors and scale to evoke a sense of divinity in her subjects. Handcrafting customized canvases from salvaged wood and building material, her pieces have been described as soulful, provocative, and indicative of the beauty of the human spirit.