Diocelina
Padilla Jr.

Diocelina (Dee-oh-seh-lee-nah) Padilla Jr. is an award-winning artist & graphic designer based in Chicagoland area.

• ✎ Artwork
• ✦ Design

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'El Amor Eterno' Art Piece
{Mixed Media}

• '2025 with Her'
• 'Unity is Love'
• ✦ Design
• ❤︎ Portfolio

Date: 2024Media: Color Pencil, Marker, & Acrylic PaintIt all started out as a rough sketch a family member had made in remembrance of our Great Grandmother. I was tasked with finalizing the art piece. With this in mind and pained by grief, I wanted to embrace the love of life and creation of La Virgencita the way my Great Grandmother did. I made this piece in honor of her and the life she's given into my own.

Description:The embodiment of love, the embodiment of a mother to us all is who she is to me, no matter who or where we are in life.Her love is evident through that of her understanding, patience, empathy, and forgiveness.Through her son, we see her guidance and teachings. Through his death, we see her; love at its core. We feel her love through her warmth, her words, and so much more. Her roots run strong within Mexican culture and tradition for centuries, coming together as a community not to just celebrate her but each other.For we are a part of her love. A part of her. Lovingly wrapped in her warm embrace.

'2025 with Her' Digital Painting
{Digital}

• 'El Amor Eterno'
• 'Unity is Love'
• ✦ Design
• ❤︎ Portfolio

Date: 2026Media: ProcreateThis piece presents forth the patterns and thorns of my very being, the sky and clouds in my numbed mind, and the mask that blocks my way into bringing my soul into the present.

My desire for death has always been a troubling thought that has always taken a toll on my mind and body.Rethinking it now, it could've possibly been a powerful desire to be reborn. To be truer to one's own being. To which, rebirth can’t occur without death.Happiness can’t be known without sadness. As Bob Ross says, you “Gotta have opposites: dark and light, light and dark in a painting. It’s like in life. Gotta have a little sadness once in a while, so you know when the good times come. I’m waiting on the good times now.”In light of the worst that has come from 2025, I am soothed by the goodness that has sprouted from it all.

'Unity is Love' Art Piece
{Mix Media}

• 'El Amor Eterno'
• '2025 with Her'
• ✦ Design
• ❤︎ Portfolio

Date: 2023Media: Color Pencil, Marker, Acrylic Paint, Paper Mache, & Card boardWork Cited:
1) Martínez Medrano, Elvia Rosa. Discrimination against Indigenous Peoples in Mexico: Public Policies to Prevent and Reduce It. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), 2006.2) Pacheco Bribiesca, Ricardo. Mexico’s Indigenous Peoples and Their Cultures: Inspiration and Objects of Discrimination. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM).3) Pérez-Castro, Judith, et al. “Viejas y nuevas formas de discriminación hacia los estudiantes indígenas en universidades convencionales.” Perfiles Educativos, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 2025.4) Schmal, John. “Mexico’s Indigenous Identity in the 2015 Intercensal Survey.” Indigenous Mexico, 2015.

In Mexico, Indigenous communities have faced discrimination despite being descendants of peoples who have lived in the region for centuries.Research has shown that Indigenous Mexicans continue to experience social inequality, prejudice, and discrimination in areas such as education, employment, and cultural representation (Martínez Medrano, 2006). Ironically, while many Mexicans celebrate Indigenous roots as part of the nation’s history and cultural identity, Indigenous people themselves are often marginalized or stereotyped in everyday life, revealing a contradiction between cultural appreciation and social treatment (Pacheco Bribiesca, n.d.).In some cases, Indigenous identity and Indigenous languages have been stigmatized, causing some individuals to feel pressure to hide their heritage rather than embrace it, particularly in educational and social spaces (Pérez-Castro et al., 2025). Because of this, it is important to raise awareness about these contradictions and recognize the beauty, traditions, knowledge, and contributions that Indigenous communities bring to Mexican society.No one should feel ashamed of their cultural identity. In fact, growing recognition of Indigenous identity in Mexico has encouraged many individuals to reconnect with and embrace their heritage, emphasizing the importance of self-love, cultural pride, and acceptance (Schmal, 2015).