Austin is a city known for its cultural diversity and willingness to celebrate its differences. Community gatherings which celebrate this strong society are presented throughout the city, especially where art is concerned; the Mexic-Arte Museum, the Mexican community center and, the inspiration for this article, the La Pena gallery, are all organizations dedicated to educating and promoting contemporary Latin and Latin-American art.

In "Return of the Black Star Jaguars," Carlos Cedillo portrays the sighting of UFOs over Campeche, Mexico.

The La Pena gallery, which is situated in the heart of downtown at Second Street and Congress Avenue, is exhibiting two shows from now until the beginning of August, showcasing two of Texas' most promising artists, Austin's David de Lara and New Braunfels' Carlos Cedillo.

After being told by a Mexican shaman that his talented hands were meant for things beyond classical guitar, Cedillo began painting in early 2000.

"The Evolution of the Cosmic Jaguar" offers a unique set of paintings expressing his fascination with his Mayan ancestry and its attempts at awakening the dormant channels of energy in people.

Cedillo's collection of colorful pieces and sprawling desert landscapes are strongly influenced by the astrological and mythological but also touch on personal "harmonies" he tunes into. For example, the inspiration for his most aesthetically pleasing work, "Return of the Black-Star Jaguars," was the news of supposed unidentified flying objects being spotted above his parents' hometown of Campeche, Mexico, which happened to take place on his birthday.

"It all lined up like that - its harmony," said Cedillo.

in "Bound," David de Lara uses the female form to depict emotions innate to the general human condition. Both exhibits run at the La Pena gallery until early August.

His most conspicuously different work entitled "Venus Incarnate" is his only piece which doesn't rely on large amounts of bold colors to attract the viewer's attention and almost seems to control the chaos in his other pieces. Its placement in the middle of the paintings' lineup was most likely a conscious decision as the white and gold hues give the painting an unmistakably ethereal quality.

"Defining David de Lara" showcases Austin's own David de Lara.

Despite being a graduate of the Texas A&M University System, the young artist's acrylic paintings are an interesting assortment of portraits depicting invented women with a unique combination of equal parts of Gothic and fantasy.

De Lara says the women in his paintings are "no one in particular," but he hopes people are able to see something within themselves through his girls. With portraits entitled "Broken" and "Bound" de Lara depicts feelings innate to the human condition and not just females.

There is an extreme vulnerability in all of de Lara's paintings, which depict the female form in a very shallow way, cartoonishly objectifying his subjects by emphasizing their physiques.

De Lara has also proven himself as a talented photographer, concentrating on artistic/glamorous studio shots solely of, again, beautiful women.

While art may be one of the most subjective types of self expression, it takes a very unique type of person to share their inner most feelings with a sometimes cynical and unwelcoming public. The ability to discuss paintings with the artist responsible for their creation is an elite luxury that not many are able to experience.

La Pena's successes are merely an expression of the community's participation, so involvement in the art culture by its residents is one of the easiest ways to ensure the uniqueness (or "wierdness") of this city never dies.

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