"John Yoyogi Fortes' art is populist in the best sense of the concept; it derives from the best of all sources, both high and low brow. In 'Hell2Pay' the title work in the (Sanchez Art Center) exhibition, I see the complexity one sees in (insider) Terry Winter's paintings and the design savvy of (insider) Mary Heilman's "rhythmic abstraction." But there are also the lively, impromptu moves of graffiti, "outsider", "folk" or "naive" art and the modern cartoon. It turns out that Fortes is a sophisticated observer and practitioner of all modern and contemporary visual expressions and he puts this knowledge to highly expressive work in a way that I consider thrilling." — Phil Linhares, Retired Chief Curator, Oakland Museum
"John Yoyogi Fortes' art is populist in the best sense of the concept; it derives from the best of all sources, both high and low brow. In 'Hell2Pay' the title work in the (Sanchez Art Center) exhibition, I see the complexity one sees in (insider) Terry Winter's paintings and the design savvy of (insider) Mary Heilman's "rhythmic abstraction." But there are also the lively, impromptu moves of graffiti, "outsider", "folk" or "naive" art and the modern cartoon. It turns out that Fortes is a sophisticated observer and practitioner of all modern and contemporary visual expressions and he puts this knowledge to highly expressive work in a way that I consider thrilling." — Phil Linhares, Retired Chief Curator, Oakland Museum