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Truthful journey: sa国际传媒官网网页入口-based artist Reyes Padilla gets introspective with pieces in 'Serio'
Ideas are always dancing around inside Reyes Padilla鈥檚 head.
It鈥檚 something that has always happened 鈥� and it鈥檚 something he鈥檚 aware of.
The sa国际传媒官网网页入口-based artist will take those ideas and cultivate them into something he鈥檚 never done before.
Case in point 鈥� his upcoming solo show 鈥淪erio鈥� at Lapis Room in Old Town, which runs from Friday, Aug. 18, through Sept. 24. There will be a reception from 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24.
鈥淭his show has been brewing within me since last year鈥檚 鈥楽ynful Norte帽o,鈥� 鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat show was about my time growing up in Santa Fe and feeling like an outsider. I鈥檝e touched on that topic before.鈥�
Padilla says the work in 鈥淪erio鈥� is the result of many lessons.
鈥淚鈥檝e learned a lot about myself and this work has put me in a state of mind within the abstract world,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he title is a term that most New Mexicans are familiar with, meaning 鈥榮erious.鈥� You hear people use it in different ways. It鈥檚 also a term that I feel like I鈥檝e carried along with me. It鈥檚 a description of my own personality. It鈥檚 something that鈥檚 carried me to where I am today. I wanted to tell a story of who I am. It鈥檚 abstract work, and I鈥檓 using a black and white palette.鈥�
鈥淪erio鈥� features 11 pieces.
Since he started in May, Padilla worked on all of them at the same time.
He works abstractly, tapping into his synesthesia 鈥� a process where he can hear colors. Though this time around he was inspired by the ritual of using nails 鈥� 533 to be exact.
Padilla hammered in the nails into the panels of work, patiently bending them to create a flow.
鈥淏efore I started, I took all the nails and I dunked them in the Pecos and Santa Fe rivers so that they would be submerged on both sides of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 significant for me because that鈥檚 where my heart is.鈥�
Padilla says once the panels were complete with nails, the inspiration continued.
鈥淚 then could tell each story of the canvases,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he number 533 jumped out at me. Growing up Catholic, I鈥檓 approaching these pieces like a religious practice. It鈥檚 about the process and ritual. I鈥檝e used the same mica I spent my childhood collecting and that I continue to use in my paintings.鈥�
