Eva Luna Ortiz-Salwet
Official Auto-Biography
Early Life
My name is Eva Luna Ortiz Salwet. I was born on February 3, 2000, at 3a.m. in Los Angeles, California. I grew up in Mid-City, Los Angeles, on the border between the city’s north and south sides—an area known for its vibrant cultural mix. From childhood, I was surrounded by a kaleidoscope of colors, flavors, music, and friendships—Mexican, Korean, African American, Anglo—giving me a broad, cosmopolitan perspective of the world.
My father, Ramón Ortiz, is Puerto Rican guitarist and founding member of Puya and later Ankla. Puya is pioneering Latin metal/rock band signed to MCA/Universal. The group released the album Fundamental (1999), produced by Gustavo Santaolalla, and performed at Ozzfest 1999 sharing the stage with icons such as Red Hot Chili Peppers and System of a Down. Ankla later toured in Ozzfest 2007. Sponsored by Seymour Duncan and Dean Guitars, he continues to record solo projects more focused on his guitar prowess.
My mother, Laura Salwet, daughter of Estonian and Ukrainian immigrants, was a poet, writer, producer and educator—graduate of UCLA and master’s student in Creative Writing at CSUN, where she also taught as a teaching assistant.
I was raised in an artistic, multicultural family that immersed me early on in tools for creative expression: I studied dance (ballet, hip-hop, and other disciplines) for much of my childhood, played soccer, took sewing lessons, worked with clay, painted with my mother, and built makeshift objects with hammer and nails in my backyard.
When I was only 1 year old, my mother was diagnosed with leukemia at 23. Thanks to a healthcare plan that covered an extremely costly treatment—nearly $3,000 per vial—she remained in remission for ten years after the initial diagnosis. However, that coverage came with a strict condition: if she took a formal, salaried job, she would lose access to the medication. This forced her to set aside any conventional career path. Meanwhile, my father, a professional musician, assumed the family’s financial responsibility—working long hours and spending extended periods on tour with his band. As a result, my mother became my primary caregiver.
What appeared to be a limitation turned into an invaluable gift: my mother dedicated countless hours to being present in my life—becoming my daily guide, greatest teacher, and most constant source of love and encouragement. Creative and versatile, she pursued independent work that allowed her to sustain her art without losing medical coverage: she designed costumes for a nonprofit dance institution, worked as a private chef, coached a local soccer team, painted custom shoes, and explored all kinds of craft projects. With that bohemian, unconventional lifestyle, she nurtured my imagination through reading, painting, time in nature, sewing, clay, dance, and endless invention with everyday materials.
More important than the activities themselves was her absolute faith in my intelligence and talents. She never demanded perfection, yet I excelled as a student—because I internalized her unwavering trust. That confidence shaped my character: it gave me the courage to start any project fearlessly, to learn quickly, and to believe in my own ability. Intelligent, humorous, radiant, and deeply creative, my mother turned the constraints of illness into a gift—the chance to raise me with full dedication, passing on love, confidence, and creative tools that became the foundation of my personal and artistic identity.
After a decade in remission, my mother’s health declined suddenly in 2010. After a year fighting the resurgence of cancer, in and out of hospice, Laura Salwet passed away on September 4th 2011. That summer day, over their Los Angeles home, it began to rain—and a rainbow appeared in the sky. For me it became an unforgettable symbol of her farewell, since the occurrence of rain in the summer is a rare sighting in Los Angeles. Additionally, a falcon appeared perched in her backyard for many hours on end since the passing of Laura, an unual sight for mid-cty Los Angles, with further signifcance for me and my family due to Laura’s immense love for birdwatching and birds in general. The images were taken by my aunt Melinda.
The following year, my father began preparing for a new chapter: returning with together to Puerto Rico, his homeland. He wanted me to grow in a more intimate, grounded environment—away from the metropolitan mindset that had defined my childhood. His goal was for me to learn Spanish, which I didn’t yet speak fluently, and experience what it meant to live in a smaller community with a strong sense of culture and belonging. The move, in 2012, became a turning point. Settling in Puerto Rico, I adapted quickly—achieving basic fluency in Spanish in three months and perfecting it over the following years.
