Arturo Padilla grew up in Mexico and later made his way to the United States. The journey between two places and two cultures has shaped everything about how he paints. His work is established in his own narration, where the land, subject, and light carry meaning deeper than the surface. He works in oil on linen, building each painting in thin layers that develop into something bright and structured. The sky and atmosphere are rarely the background in his work, but rather function like characters alongside the subjects. Themes of journey and movement run throughout all of Padilla's work, derived from his own history and fascination with the traditions of Western art. "I encourage the viewers of my artwork to find their own meaning within the scene."