Painting No. 4
2024
Acrylic on canvas
40 × 30 × 1.5 in (101.6 × 76.2 × 3.8 cm)

Dedicated to my dad, Rodolfo Peniche.

Painting No. 4 is a reflection on transformation, loss, and becoming.

It was created during a period of profound personal change. While working on this painting, my father passed away.

Painting No. 4 is a visual record of my evolution, both as an artist and as a person. It reflects what I have lived and learned in New York City, a place that has challenged me, reshaped me, and deepened my awareness.

The composition centers around three figures, each representing a different phase of my journey in the city.

The first figure, lying on the ground, represents who I was when I first arrived to the city—confident, restless, and unaware of how much I still had to learn. There was a certain bravado in me at that time, often masking uncertainty. This figure holds that early version of myself as an artist.

The second figure, seated in a lotus position, represents a spiritual awakening I experienced during my first year. In the middle of the city’s intensity, I found moments of stillness and connection. I began to understand unity, presence, and the idea that we are all part of the same energy expressed in multiple ways. This figure reflects awareness and the beginning of inner work.

The third figure, standing upright, represents my second and third year in New York. It marks the moment I understood that real growth required letting go of ego. This figure stands with clarity and acceptance, ready to create with intention and purpose.

Floating above the figures is a blue star, a personal symbol and a message to my father. Inside it, written in Spanish, are the words “Papi, te amo (Love you, Daddy).” Filling the star are intuitive, unplanned brushstrokes—gestures of emotion and love, left intentionally raw.

Above the star, a heart symbolizes universal love. Just above it appears the phrase “Let’s keep our ego at the door,” partially covered by playful elements, a golden star and a butterfly. These symbols reflect transformation, the universe, and my own ongoing process of change.

In the upper corners of the canvas sit two cherubs, an homage to Veracruz, the place where I was raised and love deeply, wishing love and peace for all.