My name is Jeremy Lei Ontiveros. I have been an artist my entire life although it has taken many forms of expression from acting, to music (d-jaying), sculpting and websites. I am a very open-minded person and always willing to try everything once.  It seems that I was meant to be an artist of some sort, no matter where I moved in life, I was always drawn back to art.

Throughout the past four to five years I have been actively sculpting. I was approached by Melanie Smith, the head of the makeup department at Knott Berry Farm’s Halloween Haunt to sculpt a prosthetic piece for myself.  Melanie was aware of my 2D drawings and she wanted to challenge my 3D abilities.  This was my first time working with clay, I was intrigued by the task, and I quickly discovered that I had a true talent for it.  Melanie felt the same way and contracted me to sculpt a number of faces for Knott’s over a five year period.

As a result of my experience and exposure at Knott’s I began creating Halloween mask and formed my own custom mask design company called "Jeh Lei". In February 2007, I wanted more for myself and needed some challenges, so I decided to pursue Jeh Lei full-time.  Jeh Lei has made a big hit in the Haunted Attraction Industry.  As an artist and former monster for Halloween Haunt not only did I have creative vision for my mask, I also understood the needs for those working within the industry.  To this day, I continue my work, challenging the norms of traditional Halloween icons; I now focus on creature and unique characters.

Along with building my sculpture techniques, I developed airbrush skills.  I was and continue to be mostly inspired by the work of Aaron Sims and Jordu Schell.  Like them, I taught myself to layer colors to obtain a realistic paint scheme.  The painting styles they create are innovative and versatile, which I strive to accomplish with every piece I create.

3December changed everything for me.  When I attend that gathering I had my first exposure to Digital 3D.  I spoke with many vendors and other attendees hearing their ideas and passion for the art form.  I was amazed at the creative possibilities.  I made my first move into 3D technology by ordering instructional DVD from Gnomon: School of Visual Effects then by creating my personal website.  With the help of Gnomon

DVDs and many online sources I taught myself 3D Max and Combustion.  A year later I learned Flash which deepened my interest in Digital programs.  I enjoyed the Gnomon DVDs a great deal.  They were informative, well taught and were instructed by working professionals.  I decided to visit the campus and hear about the type of programs they offered to new or potential students.  That visit made a significant difference in the next few months.

2007 was a huge year for me.  I was running a growing business and I received the opportunity of a lifetime.  In May, I received a call from Gnomon wanting to know if I was interested in attending the full-time two year certificate program.  I had been an unofficial student for five years and this was my biggest goal, at the time.  After much consideration and sacrifice, I slowed production in my shop and entered the CG Certificate program.