{"id":148,"date":"2026-05-08T14:02:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T21:02:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T14:02:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T21:02:38","slug":"his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/","title":{"rendered":"His paintings are a chance to connect with others, and be kinder to himself"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

The Sleeping Woman showed Miguel Camacho-Padilla something he was good at. He was in seventh grade in Tijuana, taking his first art class, and completed his assignment of a little acrylic landscape painting of a dormant volcano in central Mexico known as Iztacc\u00edhuatl, or La Mujer Dormida\u2014the Sleeping Woman.<\/p>\n

Read more In legal dispute over \u2018The View,\u2019 ABC argues Trump administration is trying to chill free speech<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter that was finished, I said, \u2018Oh, I want to make more,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cI got a good response. I tried hard and got a good result, and I got good feedback. It was like, \u2018Oh, can I do this? Do I have an ability as an artist?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, he did. He went on to earn bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees in visual arts and fine arts from the University of San Diego and the Laguna College of Art and Design, and his work is part of ArtSpectrum 2026, a group exhibition at Gallery 21 in Balboa Park, curated by RD Riccoboni and produced by The Studio Door. This show features the work of 12 LGBTQ artists and will be on display through June 1, with an opening reception from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday.<\/p>\n

Camacho-Padilla, 42, is a figurative painter and fiber artist (and holistic health practitioner) living in Hillcrest with his partner, Arlyn Hackett. He took some time to talk about his work in this year\u2019s ArtSpectrum show and how he wants to communicate with viewers through his oil paintings.<\/p>\n

What led to your interest in painting and fiber art?<\/p>\n

I kept painting consistently through my teens, until I graduated high school. At USD, I was a music major and then switched to an art major. The fiber work actually came in graduate school, and it came from a moment of crisis because although I got really good feedback in my undergrad for my painting, graduate school was a whole different story. I got a lot of pushback. My painting was really misunderstood, so I was really searching for other ways to express what I wanted to say, and I found fiber. So, my whole graduate world was actually fiber work; I\u2019m talking about embroidery, quilting, a lot of hand needle and thread work.<\/p>\n

So much of my work up to that point really was dealing with a lot of issues I had in my childhood\u2014being bullied a lot in school, very strict kind of gender roles and norms, especially growing up in Mexico in the \u201880s and \u201890s. So, the attraction to certain materials, certain kinds of reflective objects, I was dealing with that in the fiber work. A lot of it was kind of reckonings with childhood, really very expressive work. That\u2019s where I took fiber, in that direction.<\/p>\n

What I love about Hillcrest\u2026<\/h4>\n

It really has been,\u00a0in\u00a0my experience, a very caring community. Supportive, especially in the arts,\u00a0and\u00a0cares to foster creative\u00a0work. It really has made all the difference for me in finding a turning point because it\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0that\u00a0long ago that I really saw art as this big mistake that I made. Like, I should have become a doctor or something. Being\u00a0able to show my work and to have that support, which happened\u00a0in Hillcrest,\u00a0really made the difference for me.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

What kind of influence has your upbringing, your culture, had on the art that you create? Are there ways that you see your upbringing as having informed your art practice?<\/p>\n

I was raised very Catholic, and everything that that entailed, but there\u2019s so much in the Catholic tradition that\u2019s very visual with churches, religious paintings. There is so much that is visual in that whole package. Even though I eventually would not adhere to the rest of the package because I\u2019m not a practicing Catholic anymore, something about the images and visuals of religion really informed how I paint figures, how I compose images. So, for me, that\u2019s one big influence it had on me.<\/p>\n

I did a series in graduate school where I dealt with these old, torn photographs from childhood. It was a sad thing to find these torn photographs, old images. So, I made them into these quilts where I, in some way, symbolically put them back together, or invested all this hand work into these images. I transferred the photographs into these printed, quilted works that work on rescuing these things from degrading even further and making a shrine to them.<\/p>\n

ArtSpectrum is a show exclusively featuring the works of LGBTQ artists. Why is this kind of dedicated space important to you and in showcasing the art you create?<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

So, one tiny little anecdote from graduate school is that I had a professor who, when I was putting forward work that had queer themes, he said, \u201cWell, are you making fine art, or are you making queer art?\u201d It was like a segregation between the two. I had a lot of struggles in that school. Unfortunately, it was a little more conservative than I thought it was going to be, going to an art school. From there, it was like there\u2019s two paths, either you\u2019re on the mainstream or this more underground thing that doesn\u2019t count as the real thing. So, finding opportunities to show work where it\u2019s not just a token. Like, \u2018Oh, of course, we support the LGBTQ community. Here\u2019s your space to have something for you to show.\u2019 This is one of those opportunities that any artist could feasibly get, which is why I think it\u2019s important that, yes, it\u2019s an LGBTQ-forward show, but we\u2019re all professional artists who happen to be LGBTQ. It\u2019s not because we\u2019re being extended a favor or a separate thing. It\u2019s with everyone else, where everyone else also shows here. We\u2019re good enough to show with any other professional artist, whether they identify as queer or not.<\/p>\n

Can you talk about the pieces you have in this show?<\/p>\n

I have all paintings, except for one, which is a fiber piece, which is a work that I revisited from my graduate show and then I took it in a new direction because, as time goes by, I\u2019ll see that I\u2019ve done many different things and in some ways they all connect somehow. The newer paintings that I was making, I saw certain scenes, certain color stories that I\u2019ve done before, so I wanted to bring back this older piece in conversation with the new ones. They\u2019re mostly paintings, very recent. One that I\u2019m more proud of is one that I made in response to the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, and really expressing how I felt in the face of seeing this happening, my fears of what could happen to me, what can happen to people I love or people around me. I think that\u2019s an important piece that I have there to communicate that message because in a world where speaking out can have consequences and retributions, I think it\u2019s important to put yourself out there. To say what you have to say.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s oil and it is a kneeling, male figure with a butterfly on his finger. That theme comes from a photograph my partner took of me when we first met and were having lunch, and a butterfly literally landed on my finger in the picture. He always wanted me to make something based off of that, so it felt right for me to use it for this piece as kind of a symbol of hope amidst a scene that may not have much hope.<\/p>\n

Read more White House ballroom security upgrades become Democratic target<\/a><\/p>\n

Walk us through your creative process for this show? What did you do as you came up with the concept for the pieces you would include in this show? What did you want to say in these pieces?<\/p>\n

I have had, and probably still have, some important evolutions in my painting in the past couple years where I kind of worked in a looser style where images weren\u2019t as clear, but you can still make out the scene of it. I\u2019ve transitioned back to a clearer style because, for me, that clarity is going to be something very important to the conversations that I have with these images. That as many viewers as possible can come up to one of my paintings and know what\u2019s going on. Even though they\u2019re going to leave viewers with more questions than answers, there is a point where, if they\u2019re not engaged enough, then they leave without having had as good an experience as you would want to have. So, simpler, more clarity, is where I am going with more pieces because the communication with the viewer is more and more important to me.<\/p>\n

What inspires you in your art making?<\/p>\n

As I reflect on that, it\u2019s kind of my own evolution as a human being in life. I had some pretty rough years after graduate school where I didn\u2019t make any art. Life was difficult, so making art was on the back burner. Luckily, I got out of some of those bad situations in a better place, resettling and seeing how I how I faced up to things that were difficult; came out ahead and I\u2019ve done better things for my life. I find that inspiring for me, personally.<\/p>\n

You describe your work as autobiographical and that it \u201cdraws from his lived experience as a gay, bi-national artist navigating the complex and often contradictory elements that shape a fluid identity.\u201d What are some ways that you\u2019ve seen this autobiographical expression of yourself in your art, and your understanding of yourself, evolve over the years? How would you describe what you were creating and what that work was saying at the beginning of your art career, versus now?<\/p>\n

I ended up processing a bit of trauma a few months ago. It was suppressed and I\u2019d never processed this trauma, and I didn\u2019t know what it was going to feel like until I was going through it. I realized that when I was in my undergrad and first started really going into painting seriously, I wasn\u2019t making class assignments so much as crying out for help. To be like, \u2018Listen to me!\u2019 I was a very shy person. I still have a very hard time communicating with people, just talking to them, and I was doing that through painting. I was screaming my life out through images. If I look back at that work, it\u2019s very chaotic and there\u2019s very little clarity, veering on abstract. That\u2019s kind of where I was at that starting point, just visual diarrhea. Everything was coming out at once, and it made interesting images and fascinated people, but they were like, \u201cWe don\u2019t know what it means.\u201d And, I didn\u2019t know what it meant. I had to kind of stand back from my own work. I knew what work I wanted to make, I knew what the image would look like, but if you asked me what it was about, your guess was as good as mine. When you see the paintings I make now, there\u2019s a much clearer point of view. I feel more sure in my visual language, I have better clarity of who I am in the world and what are some things that are important to me that I need to express.<\/p>\n

For example, one of my paintings in ArtSpectrum is titled \u201cShallow End,\u201d which is this kind of David Hockney-esque, Palm Springs pool scene where a figure is lying face down in the pool with a unicorn floatie next to him. To me, I created this piece expressing partly my isolation that I felt coming into a gay existence in society because when I was in Mexico, I was not out. So, moving to the U.S. and coming out and assuming this identity, I had to face the kinds of problems that a lot of people do where you feel isolated, you don\u2019t feel like you quite fit in, that there\u2019s something wrong with me. So, some of these images of isolation, I expressed through this painting that I have that\u2019s much simpler, much flatter, much more succinct. If I look back at my much older work, you\u2019d be hard pressed to find what it was. With this, I\u2019m confident that a viewer will come up to it, and their takeaway is going to be a few of the things that I want them to take away. That\u2019s one important evolution that I\u2019ve seen in where I am now versus where I\u2019ve been.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s been challenging about your work?<\/p>\n

Sometimes I feel like I\u2019m my biggest roadblock, I\u2019m my biggest enemy. Sometimes I\u2019m the one who doubts myself the most, so feeling more comfortable in myself and being a better friend to myself. Putting more self confidence in myself that I can do this, I\u2019ve been doing it, and I\u2019ve been receiving good feedback on what I\u2019ve been doing. It\u2019s OK not to worry as much. That is something I try to work on consistently, is being a better friend to myself as an artist. I am my harshest critic. Then, a struggle that any artist faces, getting seen and selling work is always a huge challenge. Balancing out work, making art that feels authentic, while still having a smartness about commercializing it and finding ways to commercialize it positively.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s been rewarding about this work?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve seen it have an impact on people\u2019s thoughts. I see them really connect with it and find meaning and joy. That wasn\u2019t always the best part for me. The part I always thought would be the most rewarding, and it wasn\u2019t, was getting to sell work because when I was in undergrad, I never sold work before. So, you kind of idolize how, \u2018One day, when they buy my paintings, I\u2019ll be happy.\u2019 But, it\u2019s kind of a neutral thing. Like, \u2018Should I feel more? I don\u2019t.\u2019 People\u2019s response to it, how they connect with it, how they see themselves in it, or finding something in common with me that they identify, that what makes it worth it.<\/p>\n

What has this work taught you about yourself?<\/p>\n

Not to take myself so seriously. Getting inside your own head is such a repetitive thing I try to stay out of because there\u2019s no need to worry as much. So many times it\u2019s not broken, but I try to fix it anyway. Teaching myself self-confidence, more personal assuredness, developing mature, radiant wisdom as I age. To trust in myself more.<\/p>\n

What is the best advice you\u2019ve ever received?<\/p>\n

Slow down, on everything. Not only is there no need to rush, things come out much better if you slow down.<\/p>\n

What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?<\/p>\n

I think I\u2019ve probably come across more confident in person than I really am. I feel like I\u2019m faking that; I still feel like that shy little boy. I guess I\u2019ve gotten better at that, faking being a confident person. The secret is, it kind of works out. You really do make it at some point.<\/p>\n

Please describe your ideal San Diego weekend.<\/p>\n

I need it to be 74 degrees, not 75 or 73. It\u2019s possible, you can get absolute perfection in San Diego. I really miss being on USD\u2019s campus on a really beautiful spring day. Just the view of the ocean, the breeze, the place is beautiful. There\u2019s so many great spots for you to enjoy perfect weather in San Diego, there\u2019s no shortage of vistas, but a perfect spring day on the USD campus.<\/p>\n

To suggest a notable San Diegan for the One-on-One series, contact Lisa Deaderick at lisa.deaderick@sduniontribune.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more The job of San Diego County treasurer is a nonpartisan one \u2014 but in a four-way race, political attacks are flying<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Figurative painter and fiber artist Miguel Camacho-Padilla is one of 12 artists featured in ArtSpectrum 2026, a group exhibition for LGBTQ artists on display through June 1 at Gallery 21 in Balboa Park <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"\nHis paintings are a chance to connect with others, and be kinder to himself - Los Angeles Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"His paintings are a chance to connect with others, and be kinder to himself - Los Angeles Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Figurative painter and fiber artist Miguel Camacho-Padilla is one of 12 artists featured in ArtSpectrum 2026, a group exhibition for LGBTQ artists on display through June 1 at Gallery 21 in Balboa Park\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Los Angeles Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-08T21:02:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/08\\\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/08\\\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b7f420a994f0482cf24e152087599bfb\"},\"headline\":\"His paintings are a chance to connect with others, and be kinder to himself\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-08T21:02:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/08\\\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2741,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/08\\\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/278ef742bc8281515e2f0f2b7ae77c84.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Local News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/08\\\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/08\\\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/08\\\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\\\/\",\"name\":\"His paintings are a chance to connect with others, and be kinder to himself - Los Angeles Moving Insider\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/08\\\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/08\\\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/278ef742bc8281515e2f0f2b7ae77c84.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-08T21:02:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b7f420a994f0482cf24e152087599bfb\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/08\\\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/08\\\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/08\\\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/278ef742bc8281515e2f0f2b7ae77c84.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/278ef742bc8281515e2f0f2b7ae77c84.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":683},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/08\\\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"His paintings are a chance to connect with others, and be kinder to himself\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Los Angeles Moving Insider\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b7f420a994f0482cf24e152087599bfb\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"His paintings are a chance to connect with others, and be kinder to himself - Los Angeles Moving Insider","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"His paintings are a chance to connect with others, and be kinder to himself - Los Angeles Moving Insider","og_description":"Figurative painter and fiber artist Miguel Camacho-Padilla is one of 12 artists featured in ArtSpectrum 2026, a group exhibition for LGBTQ artists on display through June 1 at Gallery 21 in Balboa Park","og_url":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/","og_site_name":"Los Angeles Moving Insider","article_published_time":"2026-05-08T21:02:38+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"14 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b7f420a994f0482cf24e152087599bfb"},"headline":"His paintings are a chance to connect with others, and be kinder to himself","datePublished":"2026-05-08T21:02:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/"},"wordCount":2741,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/278ef742bc8281515e2f0f2b7ae77c84.webp","articleSection":["Local News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/","url":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/","name":"His paintings are a chance to connect with others, and be kinder to himself - Los Angeles Moving Insider","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/278ef742bc8281515e2f0f2b7ae77c84.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-08T21:02:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b7f420a994f0482cf24e152087599bfb"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/278ef742bc8281515e2f0f2b7ae77c84.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/278ef742bc8281515e2f0f2b7ae77c84.webp","width":1024,"height":683},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/his-paintings-are-a-chance-to-connect-with-others-and-be-kinder-to-himself\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"His paintings are a chance to connect with others, and be kinder to himself"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/","name":"Los Angeles Moving Insider","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b7f420a994f0482cf24e152087599bfb","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com"],"url":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}