Raymond Peña

Raymond Peña, 84, of Albuquerque, passed away peacefully on May 14th.

Raymond was born in Belen to Délfina Chávez and Enriquez Peña where he grew up on a farm with his brothers Sy, Eloy, Charlie, and Richard, and sisters Helen and Corinne.

Early in life, Raymond showed talent in drawing and developed a love for art which came to define him.

After graduating from Belen High School, Raymond worked as a Draftsman for Sandia National Laboratory, served as an illustrator in the US Army, studied at Art Center College of Design in California, and worked as an Advertising Art Director for J.Walter Thompson and BBDO in New York City. While in New York City, Raymond met and married Ingrid Alstrom Peña. They moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to build their family and for Ingrid to pursue graduate and postgraduate studies.

Soon after, Raymond felt called back to the beautiful landscape of New Mexico, which served as his greatest inspiration. Together Raymond and Ingrid operated graphic design businesses Alstrom Peña Communications and Bear Canyon Creative in Albuquerque for fifteen years. Raymond remained devoted to his artwork and passionate about sharing it widely. He enjoyed selling his paintings during the summer beside his son, Jeremy, at the Downtown Growers Market. Raymond was a frequent contributor to the New Mexico State Fair Hispanic Art shows, in which he was honored in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Most recently his paintings were exhibited at City Hall, the UNM Hospital and the Roma Cafe.

Raymond was predeceased by his wife, Ingrid Alstrom Peña. He is survived by his son Jeremy (wife Katherine), their daughters Phoebe and Daphne, and daughter Jillian (wife Christina), and their daughters Rivington, Sterling, and Astrid.

In honor of his life and his art, the family encourages donations to The Albuquerque Museum, which Raymond visited frequently.