Oil/Acrylic

Peña, a native of Laredo, got his start at the Texas State Arts & Crafts Fair almost 50 years ago.

“I’m excited and honored to return to the fair,” Peña said in a telephone interview. “It has been said that my work is the essence of the Southwest, with bold colors, forms and dynamic composition that capture a vision of a people, a land and its art.”

Peña, who is a Mestizo of Mexican and Yaqui ancestry, says in his biography that his work “celebrates the strength of a people who meet the harsh realities of life in an uncompromising land.”

Along with his fine art career that stretches over many decades, Peña has been a high school art teacher and adjunct professor at the University of Texas. He now lives in Santa Fe.

Website: penagallery.com