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2021 And Humanity Marches On

2021 And Humanity Marches On

It has been more than a year since COVID 19 struck the entire planet, and despite vaccines being gradually developed and spread among countries, we are still at a standstill no thanks to the new pandemic strains. We’ve seen how COVID has struck: from death-toll riddled cities to lockdown-saddled villages, humanity has experienced its greatest crisis since World War 2. Some of us are probably…

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Arts Month February

It’s Arts Month, February! And while the rest of the world is busy showcasing their artworks and exhibits, I am working in preparation for a — *drum roll* — well, let’s just say that my works will be on the road for the next months so I have to make as much as possible.

In the meantime, here’s the lineup for this month’s releases:

Artist of the Month:Our artist of the month is none other…

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1 Important Element Artists Add in their Paintings

1 Important Element Artists Add in their Paintings

If there is one thing that often causes misunderstandings it is the human lack of being able to communicate what needs to be conveyed.   More often than not relationships are shaken, families divide, organizations undergo schism, and nations engage in wars due to unspoken and misinterpreted words.

Check this out

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5 Types of Artist

5 Types of Artist

Some years back when I was still emerging in the art world, I had the honor to converse with an artist friend who is now participating in international exhibits.

“What type of artist do you want to become?”

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Meeting Cezanne: Keeping the Passion of Art Aflame

Meeting Cezanne: Keeping the Passion of Art Aflame

Most people know of artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh, and Pablo Picasso, as well as contemporary ones like Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, and Banksy.

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Majestic Series

I was born and raised in a city that was known in my country as the City of Majestic Waterfalls. There are, many cities around the world that have plenty more, but my hometown boasts at least 24 waterfalls within its 813.37 km2 area.

Maria Cristina. Crayon on canvas, 12 in x 16 in. Technically my first waterfalls artwork.

I have been to places in and out of my country, but for a resident of…

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2019: Happy New Year!

2019: Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Let’s face it — unless we have lived in special circumstances we all have, at one point, made some sort of New Year Resolution.

Check this Out

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2019 and the Funky Road Less Traveled

2019 and the Funky Road Less Traveled

Just a few weeks from now and year 2018 will come to a close.  Just like the year 2018 is about to switch out with the year 2019, I will be leaving a few things behind for this year — a few bits and pieces of my art included.

Check this out

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Art and Society Part 2: Innovation and Design

Art and Society Part 2: Innovation and Design

Have you ever wondered why engineers take drafting, drawing, CAD, and even humanities classes?  Or why schools and universities that specialize in Medicine and Biology require their students to take the arts, music, or any humanities subjects?  Or why business schools still require their students to attend humanities?  

Repackaging Packages

Students tend to wonder or complain why the need…

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Coming Soon

My apologies to my readers for these past months.  Several projects have come up which have kept me from working on my page. I hope to update on things in the next few days — and weeks.  Until then, please sit tight and look forward to my new posts.

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Last Monday August 20, 2018 MugnaARTE, a group of artists from various provinces of Northern Mindanao merged for another art exhibit entitled “Busilak Sa Agosto,” a timely title for Cagayan de Oro City’s month-long fiesta celebration.    This was the first ever exhibit of the group MugnaARTE coining the group name. 

Busilak

The word Busilak is a Bisaya term with multiple meanings revolving around “sending out,” “radiating,” “beam,” “shine,” “radiance,” “sun,” and “stars.”  MugnaARTE group was founded by the Cagayan de Oro Artists whose members in the likes of Edgar Daguinotas, Nonoy Estarte, Nicolas “Nick” Aca and Emie Borres are deemed masters of their craft in Cagayan de Oro and Northern Mindanao.  Gathering other members from nearby cities and provinces like Iligan City, Gingoog, Bukidnon, and Camiguin the group was able to launch an exhibit last December 2017 entitled “Himugso.”

This time around MugnaARTE, in cooperation with the Department of Tourism and LimKetKai Center, showcased artworks of its members with the goal of spreading not just the love of art to the public, but also pointing out the various roles of art in Society –pushing for progress, reminding one of issues and life lessons, and cultural growth.

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This month’s exhibit centers around being the “light” through art, showing subtle themes on politics, nature, PWD, and even women.  “Continue to shine and inspire others,” said Ms. Dorothy Jean B. Pabayo, Guest Speaker for the Opening ceremony.

August

August 28 is the Higalaay Festival (Friendship Festival) for the City of Golden Friendship, Cagayan de Oro.  In relation with this the City Council holds a month-long series of activities for the fiesta, which includes more than one art exhibit of various art groups.

MugnaARTE, however, hopes to go beyond the local color.  “We are currently composed of various artists from Northern Mindanao,” said events organizer Edgar Daguinotas. “But we hope to expand this group someday to include artists from many parts of Mindanao — maybe even the whole country.”

August Radiance Last Monday August 20, 2018 MugnaARTE, a group of artists from various provinces of Northern Mindanao merged for another art exhibit entitled "Busilak Sa Agosto," a timely title for Cagayan de Oro City's month-long fiesta celebration.   

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Art and Society Part 1: Art, Economy and Business

Art and Society Part 1: Art, Economy and Business

Starting with this post I will be putting up a series of articles about art and society.  It is our hope that through this blog people get to understand more about the importance of art and artists — whether painters, sculptors, architects, animators, designers, performers, photographers, musicians, poets, writers, and others — the point is to introduce why art and humanities are needed and why…

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In the recent years with more people getting aware of issues of racism and with various individuals breaking down walls and borders, more and more artworks and portraits that show the diversity of the human race have appeared in the market.  Along with this, of course, is the slow — but definitely evident — recognition of more non-white and non-male artists in the the world market. 

Museums and major art galleries still lean towards the old school white-male dominance but the rest of the art world, however, has begun to move.  We see plenty of female artists from around the world showcasing their artworks in Instagram and Youtube, we watch various cultures putting up their own form of art in videos in Facebook, and we see models and themes that no longer focus on the old school generic world view.

I come from a country where Western-influenced old school art still heavily guide most artists, and younger generations of amateurs and enthusiasts blindly follow social media art trends.  Part of my guilt is having been raised in an old school society where art is but an afterthought and not a forerunner of things to come.

This is exemplified in the use of tonal values.  I am surrounded by many — not all, but plenty — whose works are characterized by whitewashed subjects, depicting bland skin tones where the shadows, highlights, and all the tones in between are blurred because either the people who commissioned them to work prefer to appear fair-skinned or the artist himself/herself is too afraid to go beyond flat-faced edited photos to emphasize on the variances or thinks that dark tones will make the subject look black (see the old world influence?).

Rachel Wolchin once said:

“Surround yourself with people that reflect who you want to be and how you want to feel, energies are contagious.”

I still have a long way to go when it comes to technique — art, after all, is a continuous process and a progressive mindset is the key to an artist’s growth.  I wish, however, to be surrounded by people who are not afraid to go beyond the norm, who are not afraid to emphasize tones and colors in art and showcase subjects for the beauty they are.  I wanted to tell this to friends via social media — but how do I break it without making them feel insulted?

One of my favorite characters in fiction literature is R.A. Salvatorre’s Drizzt Do’Urden, a black elf.  There have been plenty of artists who have tried to portray him but he is just difficult to portray because his features are black and elvish — elves are normally patterned after Caucasians and fair-skinned folk.  Even I had trouble trying to come up with a visual interpretation and up until now I still am thinking of ways that will make him less human regardless of ethnicity, but more of the elf that he is.

Drizzt, however, is my first step into appreciating the dark skin tone.  Although I draw portraits only occasionally, much less dark skin tone-subjects, I do find dark-tone models and references very interesting and worth studying.  In terms of technique, for example, I get to practice tone control.

No reference. Quick random sketch of a dark-skinned girl (I tried imagining Rihanna, Beyonce, and Tyra Banks while I was just drawing away this one)

The good thing about studying dark toned subjects is given a center stage and for someone like me who is neither dark nor having dark ancestry, my definition of beauty gets additional dimension.  I can no longer base it on general old school standards — the world has offered even so much more to look at and make artworks after.

Reference: http://www.blacknewsandviews.com/beautiful-black-women/

So, after working on a couple of artworks that focus on black people, I have come to terms with what I will do to convince my fellow artists — I will diversify my subjects even more to point out that skin tone values matter and we artists should not be afraid to put emphasis on colors and tone variations.

We artists are supposed to magnify the truths and the beauty of this world, after all — we are not there to whitewash it.

Black is Beautiful In the recent years with more people getting aware of issues of racism and with various individuals breaking down walls and borders, more and more artworks and portraits that show the diversity of the human race have appeared in the market. 

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Never Give Up

It has been three years since I went back to art and so far I am starting a new phase in my art journey. Check it out

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Chester Bennington: A Remembrance

Chester Bennington: A Remembrance

A year and a few days ago the world and a band lost a music artist by the name of Chester Bennington.   Check this out

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With the rise of social media comes the proliferation of various art styles, schools, genres, and movements around the world.  It is no longer a wonder for a Westerner to create various street paintings and art installations in the East, nor is it a surprise for an Easterner to come up with art works that do not conform to stereotypical Eastern form.

This is especially evident in Singapore. 

Having spent a couple of weeks commuting to various sites and attractions I was able to see the various art styles that have pockmarked Singapore.  I must admit that with the limited time and resources I can only show you a portion of the enormity that is art in Singapore.

Petal Clouds. Art Installation. ART+COM. Changi Terminal 4.

When I arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 4, the first thing that drew my eyes were these hanging mobiles that seem to dance in the air, as delicate Degas’ ballerinas pirouetting on piano strings.  The 96-element art installation is made by ART+COM of Germany, but the mesmerizing minimalist concept reflects an Asian tradition that Singapore projects.

It was definitely a light but warm welcome — kind of like having walked through a storm (of work) and coming into a receiving room, having one’s hat and coats and umbrella taken off, and in return given tea and warm towel by a pleasant valet.

This, of course, is but only a glimpse of what was to come.  My first stop in my Singapore art journey was Ode to Art.

Peaceful River 4, Vu Qd. Oil on Canvas. Ode to Art.

Normally, an artist or an art enthusiast would go to the National Museum and the National Gallery right away — but such was not my case.  A week before I left for Singapore I was scouting already for places to visit — spots where I knew my artist spirit would take me.

Cow With a Horn and Bird, Lee Sangsoo. Resin. Ode to Art.

Ode to Art drew my wayward soul — their displays were a mix of East and West, of tradition and experimentation, of ancient sages and wild druids.  I have always been seeking to improve my style — to marry what is “straightlaced” and what is “crazy,” to mingle what is “well-defined” and what is “minimalist,” to craft together what is “sophisticatedly mature” and what is “curiously childish.”

Runner, Rainer Lagemann. Stainless Steel. Ode to Art.

I found answers in their Gallery.  It took me a while — wondrous and growth-inducing things in life often take some time to digest, and such was my case.

A Giraffe With a Tree On Its Back and Three Birds, Lee Sangsoo. Resin.  Ode to Art.

Lee Sangsoo’s sculptures, for example, was a fusion of the heart of a child and the delicate craftsmanship of an adult’s.  Looking at his Three Birds, A Cow With A Horn, and A Giraffe With a Tree on Its Back is like getting pulled back to childhood — an artistic reminder for us artists to always have the heart of a child, to see the world with wonder and freshness.  The smooth minimalism of his sculptures screamed of the East, but the childish caricature and squiggly detail prints reminds us of the intricacies of the West.

Lee Kuan Yew, Ren Zhen Yu. Oil on Canvas. Ode to Art.

I stood staring awestruck at Ren Zhen Yu’s painting of Lee Kuan Yew — here was a man that defined Singapore, painted in traditional oil paint, and yet the mix of colors was so contemporary and the brush strokes was no dainty Eastern artwork — yet still, the image popped out that no photograph could give it any justice the painting deserves.

LP Singapore River (Four Boats), Lim Tze Peng. Ink on Paper. Ode to Art.

Then there was Lim Tze Peng’s unorthodox mix of traditional  calligraphy and ink painting, mixed together to form an artwork that screams “This is Singapore — this is what once was, but this still screams true today in our hearts!”

I have seen ink paintings before among the Japanese and the Chinese.  I have also seen calligraphy as a stand-alone artwork, as well as Japanese and Chinese paintings with calligraphic description as a “side dish.”  Lim Tze Peng’s work, however, was a first for me to see calligraphy being pulled center stage and treated as a painting in itself — as if every character has been reconfigured to become a stage actor that is the subject of a portrait.

LP-Abstract Calligraphy (LP), Lim Tze Peng. Chinese Ink on Paper. Ode to Art.

It is sad that I am not well-versed with Chinese calligraphy to be able to interpret characters, but I could tell from the strokes that they were meant to present each element of a scenery being unfolded.  Calligraphy had that power, but his was a multitude of characters that was meant to create a landscape.

There were other artworks in Ode to Art that up until now I am still digesting, but the point is I had just taken the first two steps — the airport and Ode to Art Gallery — in my exploration of Singapore.

Connect-the-dots, Lee Mei Ling. SAM.

A few steps away is the Singapore Art Museum (SAM), Southeast Asia’s seat of contemporary art.   The Imaginarium:  Into the Space of Time was like getting a lecture from Einstein, Hawking, and other scholars of space, time, and everything in between — except that this time it is in art, and more.  What lay before me were no longer numbers but memories, ideas, decisions, images — things so crucial to us humans that we take them for granted because of our daily struggle to be in the rat race.

Painting at National Museum

Dragonfly Sculpture at Gardens by the Bay

The Original Merelion

Art does not limit in these areas.  When I went around I saw traces of art — a wall art here, a street art there, a sculpture in the middle of the park, monuments by the river, statues (which tempt you to ride, but you have to stay) in the zoo.  Even the buildings themselves do not just stand like boxes — we all know how Marina Bay Sands looks like.

Yet there is also a hint of a sad truth — there are Singaporean artists, but they are not enough.  Ode To Art, for example, had multiple artworks belonging to artists around the world, but it was only Lim Tze Peng I recognized as a true blue Singaporean.  Aside from Singaporean Lee Mei Ling, a lot of exhibiting artists in SAM are from various parts of the world.  Even Petal Clouds of Changi are German-designed.

Crane Dance. Performance Art. Sentosa.

Does this mean that Singapore lacks artists or creativity?  Not so.  It only means that Singapore, being a hub of various peoples from different continents from around the world because it is a port city and a country ahead in economics, technology, and the like, is also a melting pot of artists.  But because Singapore has to define itself as a Nation, their artworks have to reflect the fusion of various cultures and various generations that is Singapore throughout the ages.

One thing is for sure — so many artworks here and there in Singapore, one trip is not enough — and a single blog entry — is definitely not enough.

  An Art Escapade in Singapore With the rise of social media comes the proliferation of various art styles, schools, genres, and movements around the world. 

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July is here, so let me share some of the artists who share the same birth month as me. 

Hands in Prayer 1. Oil on canvas, 4in x 5in.

When I was in grade school and high school I used to scour the library and read just about anything.  We had no encyclopedia nor internet at home.  One time, while poring through one encyclopedia after another I came upon an artist who shared the same birthday as me.

Allow me to share these July babies who, for some reason, have made an impact in my art journey:

Frida Kahlo — July 6

Self portrait. Graphite on paper.

I find millennial artists lucky that they got to know about Frida Kahlo at an early age thanks to the Internet.  Kahlo is noted for her portraits and self-portraits with backdrops and elements that reflect Mexican culture.

The first time I saw her pictures of her paintings I already knew there was a feminist element about her.  She was a renegade in the sense that her paintings were politically-charged with thoughts on gender studies, Mexican politics, and even about herself and her life.  Her paintings were not exact copies of people she painted, and though her husband and their Mexican culture influenced her art style she did not follow any other trend that the art world was into during her time.

My exposure to gender studies in my MA in Literature has made me appreciate Kahlo.  It was her strength as an artist despite all the odds she went through — her polio, the accident, the ups and downs in her love life and public life, and her being self taught as an artist has challenged me to stand for my own passion in art and literature.  Having learned of Kahlo and her works has driven me to go beyond the aesthetics and think deeper on the messages of my artworks.

Amedeo Modigliani — July 12

I Am Not You, You Are Not Me. Oil on Canvas 48in x 36in.

Amedeo Modigliani’s work is characterized by elongated body parts, particularly the face and neck.  His artwork is not much accepted during his time, unlike his contemporaries who were into cubism.

I have been fascinated with Modigliani’s work but did not learn of his name until a few years ago, when I was in a crossroad.  Back then I was already rapidly making up for the lost years I had away from art, so I self studied a few styles and techniques here and there.

I came to a point where I had to make the great hurdle of crossing over to human portrait painting.  I already did some portrait sketches, but never had I painted a portrait.  My artist friends and I were hanging out when we talked about Modigliani, and his art style.

The name had been familiar, so I did a little bit of online researched and realized how Modigliani was a true blue tragic artist — one who died without much pomp and media coverage, but whose work is posthumously appreciated.

A lot of artists living today — myself included — know how difficult it is when the world barely appreciates our work.  Less appreciation means less people will buy your art, which means less earnings and less funding to buy art materials as well as to fill your pockets, and thus less food on the table.  People will either criticize your work or question your sanity for pursuing art.

Mondigliani had such difficulty, but it did not become his barrier in his search for the sublime.  He and other tragic artists like Van Gogh have taught me this.  Humans are meant to reach the sublime — the artist’s path to the sublime just happens to be through art.

Knowing this and Modigliani’s art style, it helped me come up with my paint “I Am Not You, You Are Not Me.”

Gustav Klimt — July 14

  Treasure. Oil on canvas, 24in x 20in Private Collection.

“Bulak sa Kalibutan” (Flower of the World). Mixed media on canvas, 24in x 24in.

Gustav Klimt is a symbolist known for his gold leaf artworks that portray frank eroticism, the female body and charged emotion or messages.  There are traces of Far Eastern influence particularly Japanese in his artworks.

I used to think that the color yellow is such an overbearing color that is quite overused, no thanks to many local artists who seem to have this penchant for copying a national artist’s style of using rural themes and harvest scenes, as well as the frequent use of yellow.

I got so fed up that after my first oil painting that used a lot of the sunshine color (my painting was that of a sunrise, after all), I opted to use more greens and blues.

Until I saw Klimt’s painting.

It was the allure that rose from the play of the gold leaf — that delicate yet erotic subtleties of the various shades of yellow that rose from the gold leaf and the pain in Klimt’s The Kiss that got me working again on the color — not to mention during that time I was working on a painting entitled “Treasure”, and I was still learning how to paint a gold object.

Although “Treasure” seems a far-fetch output of Klimt’s influence on me, looking at Klimt’s painting as well as a couple of others had encouraged me to look for my own gold.

Eventually, when I started working on mixed media and added gold hue and several shades of yellow I realized the true allure of gold.

It is true that the color yellow is bright and highly attractive in paintings, but my pursuit in the various shades of yellow and gold goes beyond rural scenes.  The golden color reflects nostalgia, but art is not just for the old — the current and future generations have to be reeled in, too, if we wish art to grow.

Rembrandt van Rijn — July 15

Hands in Prayer 1. Oil on canvas, 4in x 5in.

Of all the artists in this list, I find Rembrandt van Rijn to have given the most impact in my journey to art, probably because he was the first artist I met through books, aside from Leonardo da Vinci and Michaelangelo.  We also share the same birthday, leading me to think that we may have something in common in terms of personality considering that we have similar birthdays.

I find it important that I first “met” the artist and already started thinking of how his personality and life would impact who I will become during my school years.  Our student years is the time when a human brain is at its most pliant and when influences can really mean a lot in the formation of a personality.

Because I was able to identify Rembrandt van Rijn as a personality to look up to and follow, I started taking interest in his art style.  I did not copy it, of course, but I took the most important element in his work — the play of light and dark, the impact of light and how shadows add beauty to one’s artwork.

Since then I have always aimed to create portraits that give show a relationship between light and shadow — so much so that I get picky with my model, as well as any photo reference were I to use any.  I still have a long way to go — toning and highlighting is serious work, after all — but I am somehow getting by.

Edgar Degas — July 19

“Even the Moonlight Has Colors” Oil on canvas, 20in x 16in. Private collection.

Edgar Degas is considered one of the founders of impressionism (though he prefers to be identified as a realist).  He is known for works depicting dancers and movement.

What I like about Degas’ work is how he paints the color white of his dancers.  White, actually, is not a color, but an amalgam of colors.  Degas’ white are a combination of streaks of colored pigments and white pigment.  What was once an amalgam of colors oil paint becomes streaks of light filtering through layers of tutu, in such a way that the scene of movement could also be “felt.”

Degas’ style has influenced me when I created my semi-abstract painting, “Even Moonlight Has Colors.”

Beatrix Potter — July 28

Who doesn’t know Peter Rabbit?

Beatrix Potter is both a writer and an illustrator.  One of her most famous works is The Tale of Peter Rabbit.  Aside from illustrating children’s books, she also makes merchandise based  on her art.

Her style of marketing her art is similar to how a lot of modern artists do it today — one does not only rely on major works to make sales, but also in merchandise and smaller projects.

I am able to connect with Potter because I, too, have worked as an illustrator for a children’s book, although it was only one of the stories in the book.  I also write a lot, and in some of these writings I even do my own illustration.  I do hope to illustrate more books as I go through my art journey.

There are other artists who are born in the month of July, but so far these are the ones who greatly influenced me.  For your comments, suggestions, and other reactions, please feel free to leave a message below, and like and follow my blog.

6 Artists Who Are July Babies July is here, so let me share some of the artists who share the same birth month as me.