I paint music. Having synesthesia means that I experience sound visually. My work is created by actively painting what I see while listening to music. The decision to embrace what I am seeing and paint it in the moment seems like a natural dance between two worlds.

 

Reyes Padilla’s paintings, murals, and site-specific installations have sold to a variety of collectors and museums, including the State of New Mexico, the City Of Braddock, Pennsylvania, and the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum. Padilla's installation titled, ¡Mira, Look!, was purchased for the permanent collection of Explora Science Center and Museum in Albuquerque in 2016. He has been awarded a fellowship with SOMOS ABQ. In 2019 he received the Distinguished Alumni Of the Year award from Central New Mexico Community College. In 2021 Padilla was the lead artist for New Mexico’s first permanent traffic mural. Born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Reyes Padilla currently lives and works in Albuquerque.

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