Chito Padilla

Chito Padilla is a self-taught visual artist who launched his career in painting after working in International Development. He identifies as an intuitive painter and his gestural style as heavily influenced by the abstract expressionist movement.

He shares, “Painting is an emotional experience for me. Perhaps because I am self-taught and a late bloomer, I allow myself the adventure of creating in the moment. Each painting has its own way of evolving. I may start with bold strokes of color; then I push and pull paint, I scrape; sometimes I cut and paste. I let the image come through. Once I sense the suggestion, I begin to create intuitively. When I discern an image, I may continue to define it or just let it reveal itself to the viewer. I do not dictate what others should see when a piece is finished. I just feel it is ready.”