About Me
I am a Spiritual Surrealist painter and Winner of the New Mexico Entertains Award for Top Artist 2023. As a native New Mexican, having a family foundation of centuries, my roots run deep. I have known I wanted to be an artist since I was seven and have devoted myself to my craft. My work has always been a vehicle of communication and connection. It is an evolution of my journey through navigating connection and relationships, spirituality, ideology and imagination. I push myself to understand the ethereal and ephemeral nature of being and the universe. I am inspired by philosophy, existentialism, Sacred Geometry, the interconnectedness of the Universe, the feminine ideal and preconceived social structures. My process involves encompassing the beauty and simplistic repetition in nature on both the large and small scale and examining it on a deeper level. I believe in involving my audience in my process as much as possible, and paint live at every event, inviting connection and exposing myself and my process, creating an open and vulnerable dialogue.
In 2020, while the world reeled and learned to navigate through the pandemic, my husband was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer. It set off an agonizing two-year battle, which culminated in his passing in November of 2021. This journey forever changed me, and my art. I have pushed into the raw emotions of grief, and the expression and connection to my previous work has evolved. Finding my roots in spirituality and universal connection has translated and morphed into an even deeper need to express this in my paintings. I dove more into expressionistic and emotional, feeling into the moment, experimenting with vulnerability and how powerful that can be. Tying my detail brushwork with violent palette knife strokes and extending the play between experiences and reflection. It has opened me up, and I have worked to connect the expansiveness of the possible to the visceral reality of the present.
Life is comprised of innumerable moments. They are fleeting, and full, agonizing and ecstatic. My work captures the ephemeral and grounds it in connection.
Classically trained with a BFA in Fine Arts from the University of New Mexico, Cum Laude. My work reflects the influences of Surrealism, Kahlo, Dali, Grey, Magritte, Geiger, Escher, Picasso, and as well as Mannerism, Modernism, Sacred Geometry, and Spanish Colonialism. My process involves encompassing the beauty and simplistic repetition in nature on both the large and small scale and examining it on a deeper level. I primarily work in oil paint.
Active in the community, I am the Project Manager for Creative Economy initiatives for the city of Albuquerque, organizing and producing curated themed artisan markets. I have been an artisan vendor at the Downtown Grower's Market, The Rail Yards with work shown at numerous galleries and ArtsWalk events throughout Albuquerque and Santa Fe. I started my business in 2016, under the name Caitie The Painter, and have partnered with William Wooten to create Pigment Pushers, a painting event and class at numerous restaurants and bars in Albuquerque. I have been featured and recognized in group and solo exhibitions, including Ghostwolf Gallery, Tortuga Gallery, Ricochet Gallery, OT Circus, Boxing Bear, and The Taproom. ABQ Pride winner, Best In Category for Oil Painting, ABQ Pride 2018 and Audience Choice 2017, Contemporary Hispanic Market 2019 in Santa Fe, and the New Mexico Artisan Market 2023 three years running.
I am a Spiritual Surrealist painter and Winner of the New Mexico Entertains Award for Top Artist 2023. As a native New Mexican, having a family foundation of centuries, my roots run deep. I have known I wanted to be an artist since I was seven and have devoted myself to my craft. My work has always been a vehicle of communication and connection. It is an evolution of my journey through navigating connection and relationships, spirituality, ideology and imagination. I push myself to understand the ethereal and ephemeral nature of being and the universe. I am inspired by philosophy, existentialism, Sacred Geometry, the interconnectedness of the Universe, the feminine ideal and preconceived social structures. My process involves encompassing the beauty and simplistic repetition in nature on both the large and small scale and examining it on a deeper level. I believe in involving my audience in my process as much as possible, and paint live at every event, inviting connection and exposing myself and my process, creating an open and vulnerable dialogue.
In 2020, while the world reeled and learned to navigate through the pandemic, my husband was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer. It set off an agonizing two-year battle, which culminated in his passing in November of 2021. This journey forever changed me, and my art. I have pushed into the raw emotions of grief, and the expression and connection to my previous work has evolved. Finding my roots in spirituality and universal connection has translated and morphed into an even deeper need to express this in my paintings. I dove more into expressionistic and emotional, feeling into the moment, experimenting with vulnerability and how powerful that can be. Tying my detail brushwork with violent palette knife strokes and extending the play between experiences and reflection. It has opened me up, and I have worked to connect the expansiveness of the possible to the visceral reality of the present.
Life is comprised of innumerable moments. They are fleeting, and full, agonizing and ecstatic. My work captures the ephemeral and grounds it in connection.
Classically trained with a BFA in Fine Arts from the University of New Mexico, Cum Laude. My work reflects the influences of Surrealism, Kahlo, Dali, Grey, Magritte, Geiger, Escher, Picasso, and as well as Mannerism, Modernism, Sacred Geometry, and Spanish Colonialism. My process involves encompassing the beauty and simplistic repetition in nature on both the large and small scale and examining it on a deeper level. I primarily work in oil paint.
Active in the community, I am the Project Manager for Creative Economy initiatives for the city of Albuquerque, organizing and producing curated themed artisan markets. I have been an artisan vendor at the Downtown Grower's Market, The Rail Yards with work shown at numerous galleries and ArtsWalk events throughout Albuquerque and Santa Fe. I started my business in 2016, under the name Caitie The Painter, and have partnered with William Wooten to create Pigment Pushers, a painting event and class at numerous restaurants and bars in Albuquerque. I have been featured and recognized in group and solo exhibitions, including Ghostwolf Gallery, Tortuga Gallery, Ricochet Gallery, OT Circus, Boxing Bear, and The Taproom. ABQ Pride winner, Best In Category for Oil Painting, ABQ Pride 2018 and Audience Choice 2017, Contemporary Hispanic Market 2019 in Santa Fe, and the New Mexico Artisan Market 2023 three years running.
Artist Statement and Philosophy
The search for purpose, meaning, and the divine propels us through life. The inherent order and beauty in chaos has fascinated people for millennia.
Throughout all of our journeys we are constantly battling with how open we are with others, and what we reveal about ourselves. Sometimes we connect profoundly, sometimes we get hurt, sometimes we lose those closest to us.But we should never let it stop us from being present, embracing our authenticity, and allowing others to be open and present with us. I believe vulnerability is strength
It is brave to be exposed and show your true self.
When we are exposed and let others see our souls and the universe inside of each one of us, we allow them to share themselves and those connections stay with us forever
I have chosen to be exposed, in life and through my art.
Each one of these pieces shows a different aspect of the duality of vulnerability and strength. And the connection we all share.
This is ultimately what drives my exploration and creativity and I use these concepts to connect my audience to each other and the spirituality throughout the universe.
I continue to experiment with different mediums, primarily in Oil, Acrylic and chalk pastel. Ultimately, I am attracted to what will allow me to communicate best what I see in my head, and my heart. I frequently use a black background rather than white, reminding me of DaVinci and his thought, “A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.” Though I express specific ideas and questions through my art, it is not my job to tell the viewer what or how to feel about it. The audience and their perception is equally important to the process of art and its message. I leave you with this:
“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science.”
― Albert Einstein, The World As I See It
The search for purpose, meaning, and the divine propels us through life. The inherent order and beauty in chaos has fascinated people for millennia.
Throughout all of our journeys we are constantly battling with how open we are with others, and what we reveal about ourselves. Sometimes we connect profoundly, sometimes we get hurt, sometimes we lose those closest to us.But we should never let it stop us from being present, embracing our authenticity, and allowing others to be open and present with us. I believe vulnerability is strength
It is brave to be exposed and show your true self.
When we are exposed and let others see our souls and the universe inside of each one of us, we allow them to share themselves and those connections stay with us forever
I have chosen to be exposed, in life and through my art.
Each one of these pieces shows a different aspect of the duality of vulnerability and strength. And the connection we all share.
This is ultimately what drives my exploration and creativity and I use these concepts to connect my audience to each other and the spirituality throughout the universe.
I continue to experiment with different mediums, primarily in Oil, Acrylic and chalk pastel. Ultimately, I am attracted to what will allow me to communicate best what I see in my head, and my heart. I frequently use a black background rather than white, reminding me of DaVinci and his thought, “A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.” Though I express specific ideas and questions through my art, it is not my job to tell the viewer what or how to feel about it. The audience and their perception is equally important to the process of art and its message. I leave you with this:
“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science.”
― Albert Einstein, The World As I See It
Exhibitions and Awards
2023
Winner New Mexico Entertainment Awards, Top Artist 2023
The Taproom at Old Town, Solo show, Jan-March
Ghost Wolf, "Women's Work", Group Show, March
Ghost Wolf, "Superfunkadelic", Group Show, June
SWOP, solo show, August-October
2022
Ricochet Gallery, Group Show, Oct
Tortuga, Group show, “Let’s Get Metaphysical” Oct
Ghostwolf, “Superfunkadelic”, Group show, Sept
OT Circus, “The Unseen Works”, Partner show, Sept
Finding Resilience With Leann, Resident Artist, July-Present
Boxing Bear Brewery, “Caitie The Painter” Solo show,Feb-March
Ghostwolf, “Women’s Work”, Group Show, March
2021
Curious Toast, Resident Artist, Feb-August
Castle Coffee, “Caitlin Padilla” Solo Show, Summer
Ghostwolf, “Superfunkadelic”, Group show, July
OT Circus, “Let’s Get Naked”, Group Show, May
2020
Rail Yards Holiday Market, December
OT Circus, Pop-Up Market, August-October
OT Circus, Solo Show, "Lost & Found" July
Tipping Points for Creatives Peer Advisor and Speaker, February
NM Artisan Market, Albuquerque, February
2019
Tipping Points for Creatives, Wise Council Convenings, March-December
Krampusnaucht Market, Devine Eye Tattoo, December
Rail Yards Holiday Market
OT Circus, Group Show, "The Roaring Twenties", December
NM Artisan Market, Albuquerque and Santa Fe
We Are This City, Group Show, December
OT Circus, Group Show, "Vice + Virtue", October
Contemporary Hispanic Market, July Santa Fe
OT Circus, Group Show, "Euphemistic II", June
Downtown Growers Market, April-October
Rail Yards Market, April-October
First Friday Artswalk, Jan-March
Moonstone Pop-up, March
OT Circus, Solo Show, "Exposed" March
Humble Get Down, February
OT Circus, Group Show, "Let's Get Naked" February
The Peoples Art Show, Factory on Fifth, January
Artichoke Café, December 2018-February 2019
2018
Nob Hill Bar & Grill, We Are This City group show December
Rail Yards Holiday Market, December
Downtown Grower's Market, December
Salon 528, Solo Show, March-Septembeer
Downtown Growers Market, April-October
Rail Yards Market, April-October
OctoFair Market, October
ABQ PRIDE 2018, June: Winner: Best in Category, Oil Painting
The Peoples Art Show, Factory on Fifth, January
Java Joe's, solo show, January
2017
Raven Art Center, October-December
Featured Artist, Steam Zone, Rail Yards Market
Downtown Growers Market, April-October
Rail Yards Market, April-October
OctoFair, October
ABQ Pride 2017, June: Winner: Audience Choice Award
The People's Art Show, Factory on Fifth, January 2017
2016
The Remedy Spa
OctoFair, October
Ra Organics, Santa Fe, Summer 2016
The People's Art Show, Factory on Fifth
2023
Winner New Mexico Entertainment Awards, Top Artist 2023
The Taproom at Old Town, Solo show, Jan-March
Ghost Wolf, "Women's Work", Group Show, March
Ghost Wolf, "Superfunkadelic", Group Show, June
SWOP, solo show, August-October
2022
Ricochet Gallery, Group Show, Oct
Tortuga, Group show, “Let’s Get Metaphysical” Oct
Ghostwolf, “Superfunkadelic”, Group show, Sept
OT Circus, “The Unseen Works”, Partner show, Sept
Finding Resilience With Leann, Resident Artist, July-Present
Boxing Bear Brewery, “Caitie The Painter” Solo show,Feb-March
Ghostwolf, “Women’s Work”, Group Show, March
2021
Curious Toast, Resident Artist, Feb-August
Castle Coffee, “Caitlin Padilla” Solo Show, Summer
Ghostwolf, “Superfunkadelic”, Group show, July
OT Circus, “Let’s Get Naked”, Group Show, May
2020
Rail Yards Holiday Market, December
OT Circus, Pop-Up Market, August-October
OT Circus, Solo Show, "Lost & Found" July
Tipping Points for Creatives Peer Advisor and Speaker, February
NM Artisan Market, Albuquerque, February
2019
Tipping Points for Creatives, Wise Council Convenings, March-December
Krampusnaucht Market, Devine Eye Tattoo, December
Rail Yards Holiday Market
OT Circus, Group Show, "The Roaring Twenties", December
NM Artisan Market, Albuquerque and Santa Fe
We Are This City, Group Show, December
OT Circus, Group Show, "Vice + Virtue", October
Contemporary Hispanic Market, July Santa Fe
OT Circus, Group Show, "Euphemistic II", June
Downtown Growers Market, April-October
Rail Yards Market, April-October
First Friday Artswalk, Jan-March
Moonstone Pop-up, March
OT Circus, Solo Show, "Exposed" March
Humble Get Down, February
OT Circus, Group Show, "Let's Get Naked" February
The Peoples Art Show, Factory on Fifth, January
Artichoke Café, December 2018-February 2019
2018
Nob Hill Bar & Grill, We Are This City group show December
Rail Yards Holiday Market, December
Downtown Grower's Market, December
Salon 528, Solo Show, March-Septembeer
Downtown Growers Market, April-October
Rail Yards Market, April-October
OctoFair Market, October
ABQ PRIDE 2018, June: Winner: Best in Category, Oil Painting
The Peoples Art Show, Factory on Fifth, January
Java Joe's, solo show, January
2017
Raven Art Center, October-December
Featured Artist, Steam Zone, Rail Yards Market
Downtown Growers Market, April-October
Rail Yards Market, April-October
OctoFair, October
ABQ Pride 2017, June: Winner: Audience Choice Award
The People's Art Show, Factory on Fifth, January 2017
2016
The Remedy Spa
OctoFair, October
Ra Organics, Santa Fe, Summer 2016
The People's Art Show, Factory on Fifth