A Little of Home (Red Santan Flowers) by Joshua Orozco
I remember picking tiny santan flowers as a child, pulling them apart to taste the little drop of nectar inside. Sometimes, we would even make bracelets out of them. It was such a simple part of growing up in the Philippines, something I never imagined I would revisit years later through painting.
Growing up in Bicol, flowers like santan and kalachuchi were familiar sights. They were part of everyday life, so ordinary that I rarely gave them much thought. Looking back now, those small details have become some of the memories I hold closest.
Lately, I've found myself returning to them in my studio.
Finding Home Through Painting
Living far from where I grew up has changed the way I think about home.
Since leaving the Philippines and moving to the United States, my life has taken me to different places through my military career. Along the way, I've learned that home isn't always tied to one location. Sometimes, it's a feeling, a familiar sight, or a memory that unexpectedly takes you back.
As I've continued developing my artistic practice, I've become increasingly interested in exploring those connections through my paintings.
Two of my recent works, Where the Kalachuchi Bloomed and A Little of Home, Red Santan Flowers, grew from these reflections.
Although the flowers themselves are the subjects, the paintings are about much more than their appearance. They're about childhood, distance, and the small things that remind us of where we came from.
The Beauty of Ordinary Memories
One of the things I love about painting is how it allows me to spend time with a memory.
When I work in oils, I often find myself slowing down, observing the subtle changes in color and light, and thinking about why a particular subject matters to me.
With these flower paintings, I wanted to capture something familiar without making it feel overly sentimental. The colors, shapes, and atmosphere are important, but so is the feeling of recognition.
It's interesting how certain memories become more meaningful with time. Something as simple as a flower that I once walked past without thinking can now become the subject of a painting.
Perhaps that's what continues to draw me to art: the opportunity to give ordinary moments the attention they deserve.
A Little of Home (Yellow Santan Flowers) by Joshua Orozco
Preparing for Likhang Sining
These paintings are part of the work I've been creating for Likhang Sining: Contemporary Voices, Timeless Roots, an upcoming exhibition at The Studio Door in San Diego.
As a Filipino-American artist, participating in this exhibition feels especially meaningful. It gives me an opportunity to explore my cultural roots more intentionally while sharing those experiences with a broader audience.
My work has always explored memory, identity, and belonging, but this collection approaches those themes through a more personal connection to my childhood in the Philippines.
I'm excited to share these paintings alongside the work of other artists and to see the different ways our stories and experiences come together.
The opening reception will take place on November 14, 2026, at The Studio Door in San Diego.
Where the Kalachuchi Bloomed by Joshua Orozco
Carrying a Little of Home
I don't know if I would have painted these flowers years ago. At the time, they were simply part of the world around me.
Now, they remind me of how much of our past we carry with us, even as our lives change and take us somewhere new.
What started as memories of childhood has become another way for me to explore the relationship between where I came from and who I am today.
And perhaps that's what I hope people take away from these paintings. Not necessarily my memories, but a reminder of their own.
Sometimes, a little piece of home can be found in the simplest things.
Thank you for following along with my artistic journey. I look forward to sharing more of these paintings and the stories behind them.
