One way to support artists is sharing what they do with as many people as possible. That’s why I’m introducing this series of posts to elevate artists whose works I own in my personal collection.
“Last Stop: 10:00pm, Austin Truck” by Joe Peña (2017, ink painting on Yupo paper, 8 x 10 inches) was a gift to me from my friend James Hutson who knew how much I wanted a work by this artist who hails from my hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas.
Peña shares: “My work explores perceptions of cultural identity, including aspects of ethnic, familial and societal roles, relating to my Mexican and South Texas heritage. The subject matter, portrayed through various manifestations including still life, portraiture, and urban landscapes, are a further reference and investigation into personal narratives as a native Texan with Mexican roots.”
Three paintings by Peña are featured in “Cheech Collects” — the inaugural exhibition at The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of Riverside Art Museum (aka “The Cheech”) in California. Attracting well-deserved critical acclaim by the art press, his three paintings in “1:15am, Final Stop,” “Late Night Elote,” and “Rosie’s Tamales” are on view for the public through December 2022.
My painting (as well as the ones on view at The Cheech) is part of Peña’s “Nightscapes” series. This body of work focuses on food trucks, store fronts, and other similar venues used as a metaphor for the notion of home as an internal sense of place, not merely a physical location.
Check out artwork by this Texas artist at www.joepenastudio.org. Joe has a show scheduled in Houston at Redbud Gallery, November 5-27, 2022 (the opening reception is on Saturday, November 5 @ 6pm-9pm).
