8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY OCTOBER 29-NOVEMBER 4, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com 831 An offering can hold many things at once: a memory, a goodbye or a reminder of where humans come from. At Carmel Modern, a community ofrenda is the anchor of an exhibit bringing together 14 Salinas artists from nonprofit Hijos Del Sol, introducing their work to a new audience. “La ofrenda is a portal between human earthlings and the world beyond us. When we pass, we don’t know exactly where we go, but we tie it with the cosmos,” says Jose Ortiz, founding director of Hijos del Sol. “I think we’re all specks of light, specks of the sun. That’s what Hijos del Sol means.” The artists, whose creative paths all began at Hijos del Sol’s experimental arts studio, are showing their work through a collaboration with Carmel Modern for Día de los Muertos. Some started making art as elementary school students. Now, as young adults, they are bringing paintings and other work to a gallery in Carmel. “The artist can see where their magic can go and how it can bring people emotions,” Ortiz says. Juan Carlos Padilla’s journey as an artist began in 2006, when his sixthgrade English teacher at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academy in Salinas brought in Ortiz to teach art. Padilla had never painted before, but the lesson sparked a sense of expression. He immediately joined Hijos del Sol, where he found a welcoming place to create. At 12, after learning to work with oil paints, he showed his first piece. “Within seven months I was able to exhibit some artwork,” he recalls. Now 32, Padilla continues to exhibit his art and is showing two colorful acrylic-on-canvas works in the Carmel Modern exhibit. “Cactus del Nopal” draws on his childhood in Mexico, exploring identity, roots and resilience. He describes its central image as “a cactus that just keeps on flourishing within harsh environments.” His second work, “Strawberry,” explores interconnectivity through minerals and reflects the Salinas Valley strawberry fields. For Padilla, Día de los Muertos has long meant art, as well as remembrance of ancestors and loved ones. The exhibit’s theme is not death as a final, separate event, but as part of life’s natural cycle. “Life comes with death, and death comes with life,” Ortiz adds. The altar is intended as a point of connection between the living and dead. The surrounding art and light projections will reflect the ways people remain connected to the Earth, to one another and to changing forms of remembrance, Ortiz says. “The land does not belong to us. We belong to the land,” he says. The exhibit asks people to consider that connection—and the idea that, like plants and flowers, human life is temporary. The ofrenda will include a remembrance of Brayan Perez Lustre, a 33-year-old muralist who recently died. Lustre had been involved with Hijos del Sol since he was a teenager and created public art in Salinas, Monterey and Watsonville. His story gives the exhibit’s themes a personal dimension: Art can remain as a testament to someone’s life, even after that life has ended. The collaboration also places Salinas artists in a Carmel gallery where Hijos del Sol has not exhibited before. Ortiz is curious about how visitors respond, and sees the exhibit as an opportunity to share traditions while making room for contemporary interpretations. East Salinas resident Rosie Ramirez visited the exhibit on Saturday, Oct. 24, during a free family art workshop. She’s known Ortiz since the late ’80s. “I feel so honored to be here and to know that [Ortiz] has touched thousands of lives over the years,” Ramirez says. “Día de los Muertos is very important because it gives us a time during the year to reflect on all the family members that have passed. It’s a time to also reflect on where we’re at, what we’ve given to our community and what we want to leave behind.” For the artists, the exhibit is more than a presentation of work. It is also a chance to share the places, people and ideas that shaped them—and to invite a Carmel audience into a conversation about memory, belonging and the brief, interconnected nature of life. Día de los Muertos Celebration takes place 4-7:30pm Saturday, Oct. 31. Carmel Modern, 384 6th Ave., Carmel. Free. (831) 250-7540, hijosdelsol.org. Artistic Memory From Salinas to Carmel, art connects Día de los Muertos to the cycles of life. By Royvi Hernandez “We’re all specks of light, specks of the sun.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE DANIEL DREIFUSS A celebration on Oct. 31 includes the ofrenda (shown above), a procession around the block, danza Azteca performances and live digital illustration by the artists whose work is displayed. Costumes are encouraged. There’s Value in Membership! Membership with the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce means increased visibility, trusted credibility, and deeper community connections. Whether you're looking to expand, collaborate, or simply make a difference, the Chamber is here to help your business thrive. We invite you to be part of our award-winning business community. Join the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce today! Join Today! • montereychamber.com • info@montereychamber.com • 831.648.5350 JOIN TODAY!
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