Erich Padilla, a native of Saddle Brook, New Jersey , of Puerto Rican descent, has always had an artistic bent in his life. Padilla started out as sketch artist and drawer as a child, but with an athletic ability, became a professional soccer player by his early twenties and played in Arizona as a goalie for two years before suffering knee injury. To be able to keep his young and growing family clothed and fed he turned back to his passion of his younger years and started out in his prodigious career in the art world.

His artistic education has been rounded out by travel and observation throughout the world: Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America and the United States. This along with the interaction of the people he has met along the way is reflected in the nature of his art. If there is one consistent theme in the artistic work of Padilla it is the reflection of the struggles on his journeys and the people encountered along the way.

Though Padilla’s art does not fit into familiar categories like others it proves to be graphic in style, bold, interpretive, humanistic, and colorful in substance; yet subtle, definitive, soulful, impressionistic, cubist and neo-realist. His drive is rooted in his Hispanic heritage yet colored by his American upbringing.

Music and its creators are a central theme in Padilla’s art. Their inner souls are translated to tangible reality and illustrate the true image of these legendary performers for all of us to examine. From Elton John, the first of his celebrated Pop musician series, to the brothers Vaughn in his Blues musician series - painted on a denim jacket. Padilla’s medium can be canvass, denim jackets, wood or even plain paper. Padilla also sculpts with clay, papier-mâché, marble, and glass. The medium chosen is itself lent to Padilla’s illustration of the subject’s inner meaning.

Not satisfied solely with his interpretation Padilla feels an artistic need to share his interpretation with the subject. The autographing of these paintings Padilla’s brings artistic oeuvre sincere validity as the subject has been exposed to the interpretation and accepts it.

Yet musicians and music are not all of the makings of Padilla’s artistic vocation. Landscapes, abstracts, murals and sculptures round out Padilla’s life and work. As if he were a photographer capturing a moment of time at a beach or a pastoral setting Padilla uses not only his talent and paints but he also intentionally utilizes the actual substances from those areas to capture the scene. Through the use of sand, leaves, dirt, cement, or glass Padilla uses the elements around him to add texture and substance to his paintings. In a way of bringing them to life and bringing his subject that much closer to the natural surroundings and invoking an almost sensorial feel to the art itself.

Another facet in Padilla’s long career is his work and fight for children’s rights. Working with children that are under-privileged, abused, enrolled in inner-city schools, or in hospitals Padilla’s charity work has always been at a forefront. Working with inner city kids thru museum and school programs has brought joy and a sense of inner belief to children that thought they didn’t count for anything.

Be it artworks of Johnny Lee Hooker to Albert King, Billy Joel to Sting, Tito Puente to Celia Cruz; Landscapes of beaches in the Yucatan or in Cuba, deserts in Arizona; murals for television shows or assisting kids learn the value of perseverance in life; whether they are hanging in the Hard Rock Cafes of the world, Delta Blues Museum or at Texas Instruments or any other place around the world the most important thing to Padilla is bring that within his heart to others.

Erich Padilla, nacido en Saddle Brook, New Jersey, siempre ha tenido una influencia artistica en su vida. Padilla comenzo su carrera artistica dibujando cuando era un nino. Los anos y su agilidad atletica lo convirtieron temporalmente en un jugador profesional de soccer al principio de sus veintes, jugando en Arizona — como portero — hasta que fue marjinado permanente por una lesion en la rodilla. La necesidad de mantener a su familia lo hizo regresar a su pasion de nino y de ahi, comenzo su prodigiosa carrera en el mundo de las artes.

Su educacion artistica ha sido complimentada por sus viajes en Europa, Canada, El Caribe, Centro America asi como su familiariad con muchas ciudades en Los Estados Unidos. Esas experiencias se ven reflejada en su obra a traves de los temas artisticos que ha escogido asi como el impacto, que en el han tenido, la gente y los artistas que ha conicido.

Aunque el arte de Padilla no se aviene a las categorias mas comunes, su estilo grafico es muy personal, humanista, con un gran sentido del color. A esto le podemos agregar cierta sutileza, mezclada con influencias impresionistas, cubistas asi como neorealistas. Su impetu esta forjado por su herencia Hispana ademas de ser matizado por la influencia norteamericana de su educacion.

La musica y los compositores son el tema principal de su obra. El alma de los creadores es reflejada en una realidad tangible que todos podemos observar y entender. Desde Elton John, en su primera serie sobre artistas populares, los Hermanos Vaugh en su serie ‘musicos de Blues’ y otros grandes de la musica, Padilla ha utilizado una gran variedad medios para expresar su arte. Desde arcilla, papier mache, marmol y cristal, inclusive blue denim, todos de acuerdo con el espiritu y la imagen de los autores a representar.

No satisfecho con su interpretacion, Padilla siente una necesidad artistica de compartir su obra con los personajes que la inspiraron, logrando su participacion, podriamos decir su satisfaccion o, aprobacion, con sus propios autografos. En otras palabras, los personajes valorando con sus firmas la obra del artista.

Pero musicos y la musica no son los unicos temas de la obra de Padilla. Paisajes, figuras abstractas, murales y esculturas la completan. Como si fuese un fotografo, el artista captura un momento en la playa, o reproduce una escena pastoral en el campo, muchas veces utilizando la naturaleza alrededor, incorporando arena, hojas, tierra, cemento o cristal, agregando textura para completar la escena. Otra forma de darle vida a su obra y traerla lo mas cerca al ambiente que la rodea.

Otra faceta de su larga carrera Padilla la ha dedicado a los ninos y sus derechos, trabajando con los mas humildes en el centro de las ciudades, los abusado, defendiendo sus derechos en las escuelas y hospitales. La idea siempre de hacerlos sentir importantes, hacerlos parte de la sociedad y traerles la felicidad que todos se merecen.

Ya sean sus trabajos de Johnny Lee Hooker, Albert King, de Billy Joel a Sting, de Tito Puente a Celia Cruz; ya sean sus paisajes de playas de Cuba y Yucatan, los desiertos de Arizona, murales para programas de television — ya sea ayudando a ninos — o sus obras colgando en las paredes de los Hard Rock Cafes del mundo, o en el Delta Blues Museum o en las oficinas de Texas Instruments o algun otro lugar en el mundo — lo mas importante para Padilla es, y siempre ha sido — compartir lo que el siente, lo que tiene en su corazon, con los que estan al su alrededor y la humanidad en general.

Erich Padilla's Website