About Mark A. Cádiz aka Rev. M. Seishin Cádiz

Artist for Derek Trumbo’s Portrait

Artist Statement
I began drawing around the age of 4 or 5, after having nearly died from pneumonia.  When I came around, my mother brought me colored pencils, paper, and comic books to entertain myself. That was the beginning of my journey as an artist.  As I grew up, I used art to express feelings and perceptions that seem beyond language.  Art has provided me with a world without limitation.

Art is a creative meditation for me. To give form to a concept through my art is an expression of life. As long as I have the tools to liberate my creativity, I am free. Who we are is not limited to the perceptions of others or our physical form, nor can it be contained by them or by a piece of parchment framed by words. Art is my gateway to look beyond these seeming limitations to see true essence. 

My artwork has evolved and expanded to different mediums, subjects, content, and techniques over the years. Initially working with pencils, I began to develop my illustrative style. I incorporated new techniques acquired by mistake, by observation of other artists’ work, and through my exploration of a variety of genres. It wasn’t until I was in my early 50s that I began working with acrylics and watercolor. My style and technique are as diverse as my artwork: from the symbolic and metaphorical, to fantasy and the natural world. My art is influenced by my personal life experiences, the spiritual nature of reality, interconnection, and my musings.

Maybe something in my artwork will speak to and inspire someone else.

Artist Bio
Mark A. Cádiz, also known as Rev. M. Seishin Cádiz, is a 56-year-old Puerto Rican born on a U.S. Air Force base in Texas. He is the first in his family to be born on the U.S. mainland. He is a son, a brother, an uncle, a father, a grandfather, and a Soto Zen Buddhist priest ordained in 2012 and given the name “Seishin” (pronounced Say-shin), which means “Pure Heart-Mind.”  As an “inside” priest, Seishin serves the San Quentin Buddhadharma Sangha along with an “outside” priest. Seishin’s work has been exhibited at a variety of venues including: SF 9th Circuit Court (2019), Liberation Prison Project Show (2021 & 2022), SF Opera, Berkeley Art Museum and DreamCorp’s Day of Empathy and Black Future Weekend events (2022). He produced cover art for Apogee Journal (2020) and Through the Eyes of a Ski Mask 2 by Tyler Woods (2020). 

Read more: San Quentin News, Mark Cadiz's art honors San Quentin Covid deaths

Visual Description: A framed portrait of Daniel Pirkel on the left wearing a blue and yellow shirt with a solid brown background, accompanied by their framed statement. Framed underneath is Prikel’s censored text. 

A framed black and white pencil on paper portrait of Elizabeth Hawes with a scale in the background, accompanied by their framed statement. Framed underneath is Haws’s censored text. 

A framed colored pencil on paper portrait of Derek Trumbo with a yellow background, accompanied by their framed statement. Framed underneath is Trumbo’s censored text. 

Near cell wall:
On the right is a framed photograph of Kwaneta Harris, accompanied by their framed statement. Framed underneath is Harris’s censored text. 

On the left is a framed photograph of Zhi Kai in their graduation gown and cap, accompanied by their framed statement. Framed underneath is Kai’s censored text.