Kat Cadena Art

𝘌𝘥𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘖𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘥 acrylic on wood panel, 2025, about 10 x 10’ Edmond Albius, age 12, hand-pollinates a vanilla orchid for the very first time in the history of the world. The flower illuminates him. He is entranced in a rare moment of discovery, understanding, and accomplishment, not yet knowing how much he has changed the world for centuries to come. All around him, orchids and jungle plants dance and bloom in a celebration of this incredibly perceptive young boy whose genius was never appreciated nor rewarded in his lifetime. On view at the San Antonio Botanical Garden, February - October 2025. Thank you to @sabotgarden for inviting me back again and again to programs big and small that help me connect with viewers and visitors to the conservatory. Thank you @bridgeprojects for selecting me for this exhibition and for your great expertise, help and organization. Thanks Ryan, Dom, Alyssa, Sydney and Chelsea for all your help. Thanks to every sweet visitor who I got to chat with because of this artwork. Happy to be among this list of fantastic artists for the Reflections of Nature mural exhibition! #ethnobotany #edmondalbius #vanillabean #orchidlovers #vanillaorchid #botanicalgarden #muralartist #inspirationalart

“Rooted in Love,” is one of two of my newest murals located at the Greater Love Multi-Generational Cultural Community Center on San Antonio’s east side, opening today. This mural honors and celebrates children, emphasizing the importance of providing them with love and security. It features a grandmother embracing her own adult daughter, who cradles her new baby in a warm, loving embrace. The mural is meant to honor the preciousness of children and reminds us to listen to them and protect them. I invited former San Antonio Poet Laureate Andrea Vocab Sanderson @vocabulous to provide in-mural text for this composition, and she wrote: “Communities rooted in love enrich future generations.” The three-generation family surrounded by larger-than-life flowers embodies Sanderson’s message. The purple coneflowers (echinacea) are native to San Antonio, offer medicinal properties, and provide food and shelter for bees, butterflies, and songbirds. At the time of sketching ideas for this mural, the mass acre at the Uvalde school had just happened. Being a former school teacher and someone who loves kids, I was deeply emotionally and psychologically affected. At the time of the presentation of this mural today, atro cities are happening daily to children overseas who we’ve become connected to over social media. This mural is a desperate plea for protection, love and compassion for all children near and far. I share this work with you with all the love and pain in my heart. 💞 Thank you to @getcreativesa for the support throughout this project and for the many, many loving people who helped me accomplish it: @ryan.carranco , @teardropdom , @muralprovisions and so many more ⭐️ 🌸 For media inquiries, please contact @robertazertuche and @getcreativesa 🌸 Photos by @michaelxgabe #mural #muralista #familyislove #momlife #publicart #pinkaesthetic #flowerlovers #sanantonioart

“And yet, we bloom” installed in downtown San Antonio on the corner of E Houston St and Navarro, painted by me! - Two women, one indigenous, one black, touch hands in the water and lock eyes in a gaze of support, trust and solidarity. All around them, lotus flowers bloom. - Lotus flowers are revered worldwide for blooming immaculately each morning out of the murkiest, muddiest waters. Their seeds can withstand thousands of years without water and still produce a flower centuries later. - This mural is a thank you to all the women in my life who have built me back up when I’ve been broken down to my lowest state. It’s a promise to do the same for my loved ones. It’s a symbol of solidarity between BIPOC and a reminder to stand together to fight oppression, racism, inequality... It’s a symbol of those who live with fear (because of their appearance or gender identity) as the great lotus flower, blooming every day despite the odds. - Professional photos and video coming soon. I just couldn’t wait to share anymore. I hope you like it and you get the chance to see it in person. - Thank you: Centro San Antonio, Luminaria, Ryan Carranco, Andi Rodriguez, Piper Bangs, Thomas Stokes III, Jakob Villarreal, Michael Cirlos, the Centro team in downtown SA who wear yellow, and all my friends who cheered me on along the way. 🌸 - Wishing Katie were here so she could tell me “you know better” for the big blobs of black on my otherwise light painting. Thought of you the whole way through 🌸 - #centrosa #arteverywhere #mural #muralist #sanantonio #sanantonioart #artist #painting #figurativepainting #figurativeart #lotusflower #bloom @centrosanantonio @luminariasa @ryan.carranco @piperbangs.art @txstokes @humansofsa @streetartlibrary

In honor of playoffs, here’s my @spursway mural at The Rock at La Cantera! 💞 I’m so honored to have this work here in collaboration with @spurs and @sacontemporary and their after school student arts program, MOSAIC. At the Contemporary, I taught a mural workshop where some amazing student artists got to assist me on this community basketball court mural for the Spurs. Some of the students even went on to paint custom shoes for the players and meet them at an amazing event at the Rock! I’m so thankful for the students, the Spurs and Contemporary staff, the install crew and our home team. Go Spurs Go! If you’re watching the game at the Rock tonight, please send me a photo of you at the mural! 💕 (*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ*.ﾟ Special thank you to: Installers: @teardropdom @stoopzz_ @silkwormproject CEO of keeping the artists alive: @aminahdece Students: @livvi.iooo @t34isw333t @lau_raainnee @anna._.not_here @mi.guxll @l0veang3lz & @7dn4r3m ! 💕 #gospursgo🏀 #spursnation #spursfan #spursnews #spurs

yapping w my besties 🙂‍↔️ I had so much fun painting these shoes for Keldon and Jordan! 100% hand painted camo was a first for me but it was a big hit with the team so I’m glad I tried it! Thank you to @spursway for having me again and again 🏀 More to come soon about my Spurs mural at the Rock at La Cantera 💗 #spursnation #keldonjohnson #gospurs #wemby #customshoes

We’re thrilled to spotlight this year’s DreamLab muralist, Kat Cadena! 🌸✨ On Saturday, November 15, from 12–4PM, join us at Artpace San Antonio as Kat creates a temporary chalk mural with community collaborators. Guests of all ages are invited to add their mark and help bring her vibrant vision to life. A multimedia artist, celebrated muralist, and independent illustrator, Cadena’s work is known for its emotional portraits, often of women, surrounded by flowing medicinal herbs and flowers. Raised by generations of strong mestiza women in San Antonio, her art honors tradition while boldly breaking cycles. We can’t wait to see what Kat brings to this year’s DreamLab! 💫 Open to all ages 🎟️ Free admission | No registration required 📍 Artpace San Antonio | 445 N Main Ave 🚗 Free parking at 513 N Flores

𝑹𝑬𝑫𝑰𝑺𝑪𝑶𝑽𝑬𝑹 𝑵𝑨𝑻𝑼𝑹𝑬!!!!!!!! ⋆｡꩜ ⋆*!*!**!*!!! This mural represents my vision when I have total creative freedom in this specific moment of my life. A body lies in peace across the grass, holding a bouquet of flowers and is reabsorbed into nature. Critters, grass and mycelium embrace and reunite her with the earth. A beautiful cycle ever renews itself and life begins again and again 🍄‍🟫🪱🐌🐜🪳🍃🌱 I haven’t even processed painting this mural yet! But I can say I had such a fun time painting it with my wall neighbors @manola_and_maria and I’m so inspired by the community work I’ve seen done by @sanantoniostreetart 💕 To everyone who attended and supported me and the 10 other artists at the festival, I can’t thank you enough and I really appreciate your time, energy and love!! 💗 I hope everyone visits Healy-Murphy Park and enjoys our hard work and your beautiful new park! #muralartist #muralismo #muralart #streetarteverywhere #streetartnews #streetart_daily #sanantoniostreetart #muralstreetart

𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮 oil pastel on birch panel, 2025, 16 x 20” (original available) This piece is currently on view at @mothershipstudios.smtx in the group exhibition, Finding Our Way Home, featuring artists from and connected to Texas. The exhibition explores the complex landscapes of displacement, resilience, and connection that shape our understanding of place and community. This show forced me to reflect on home, a subject I habitually avoid. Growing up in many different houses, homes and groups of family, practical strangers, et al., my only permanent home was me, and I decorated it with the habits, stories, lessons, fears I picked up from those around me. Other people’s trauma is sticky and begs you protect yourself to avoid the same fate. Over time the residue forms spines that come to a sharp point. The inheritance protects you but keeps everyone, malicious or not, at bay. #oilpastelart #oilpasteldrawing #oilpastelpainting #sennelierpastels #sennelieroilpastels #ancientvessels #artistssupportingartists #ancientpottery

𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘫𝘢𝘳 oil pastel on wood panel, 2025, 11 x 14” (original sold, prints on the way) #sennelierpastels #sennelieroilpastels #amylandthesniffers #artistssupportingartists #artistslife #oilpastelart #ancientpottery #aphidcontrol #textbasedart

𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 oil pastel on wood panel, 2025, 11 x 14” (original sold, prints on the way) #oilpastelart #oilpasteldrawing #oilpastelpainting #sennelierpastels #sennelieroilpastels #pinkaesthetic #ancientvessels #ancientart

MOSAIC Student Artists are collaborating with artist @kat.cadena on a commissioned large-scale public mural. Building on their experience creating mini-murals during Cadena’s workshop last year, these young artists are now applying their skills to this professional project. The Contemporary at Blue Star’s MOSAIC Student Artist Program is open to high school students who are interested in developing their professional artistic skills and careers in the arts. Stay tuned for upcoming MOSAIC Sessions with local artists!

This and listening to my fav yappers on youtube like @gremlita 🧸 I’ve also been really into knitting, journaling and bake off. It’s getting very cozy in hereeee 🐻🍞 . . #portraitartist #portraitart #portraitpainting #portraitdrawing #paintingoftheday #lightpainting