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art interpretation

Patricia Tierra. Masaya Basta't Sama-sama. 2016. Acrylic paint and white oil pastel on canvas. 24 x 30 cm.

For our first plate in Contemporary Arts, we needed to make an artwork that would capture the Filipino essence using the materials provided to us. Right when I heard the task assigned to us, I immediately wanted to paint something that involves commuting, because it is a part of Filipinos’ daily lives. I accomplished this task by portraying how tricycle rides can actually become a fun and memorable experience when you are with other people. It is as if I am telling others of my experience in riding the tricycle through my work.

When thinking about how I want other people to understand and appreciate my work, what comes to mind is how my painting gives importance in looking at the brighter side of things. If this were to be placed in an exhibit that focuses on Filipino culture, I wish for the viewers to see the enjoyable experience of riding tricycles in the Philippines.

Whenever riders and drivers are stuck in traffic, they have nothing else to do but wait for the other vehicles to move forward. Most vehicles would be filled up and, sometimes, the only choice left for desperate riders is to hang onto the edges of a jeep or sit on top of a tricycle. Although it is illegal and unsafe, some riders still do it when there are no other vehicles available to ride on.

Fortunately, being with many other riders makes the journey more bearable, since you can talk to them about all sorts of things. For example, you can talk to them about how their day was, how you wish that there would be less vehicles in the road instead, how far the next Jollibee branch is, or where they bought the scrumptious kwek-kwek they are eating. We Filipinos stay happy and laid-back even in times of stress or adversity, because we find joy and support in the brief connections we form with fellow riders. The warm feeling of being part of the Filipino community helps us remain positive and hopeful of the future even in tough times. In this case, the riders are hopeful that they would be able to reach their destination in time even if the journey seems tiresome. 

The initial idea and sketch I created looked pretty great. However, I had a hard time choosing the colors I wanted to use. While making this painting, I realized how I am much more comfortable with using pencils, pens, and watercolor than acrylics and oil. This could have been the reason why I had a hard time finishing my work. I kept on putting it off, because I thought that I would not be able to make a desirable output. I solved this problem of mine by painting the characters’ skin and the tricycle first. After that, I just went with the flow and used saturated and pastel colors to make it look bright and fun.

Additionally, it has that texture and undone-look that I always like to create in my works using oil pastel or pencils. Although the instruction was to use the materials provided to us, our teacher allowed others to use markers and other materials as well as long as the painting is predominantly done with acrylics. Even after going through a few difficulties in finishing the painting, I still think that my work remains something that I am proud of, because it shows my attempt to capture the Filipino essence. And this is why I consider my work unique even if we were all trying to accomplish the same task. We all have our own perception of our country’s culture. For me, I focused on a common scene that one might see in the streets during rush hour: a fully-loaded tricycle.

If I were to give myself a score from 1 to 10, I would give myself an 8 out of 10. My main concern, is how I executed my idea. I still have to learn how to manage the layers of colors in my paintings and remember that fixing painting mistakes is not as easy as fixing sketching mistakes. On the brighter side, I am definitely happy with my artwork, as it shows one of the greatest qualities of Filipinos: staying happy despite being in a not-so-nice situation. On the whole, this is only the beginning of our subject and we have many more tasks to accomplish. I have learned a lot from this experience and I am looking forward to discovering more things about my country, the Filipino community, and its beauty.

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MC women's gallery visit

Found in the first floor of the MMJ Building foyer is the Gallery of Women's Art (GAWA). Curious about its history, I checked the website of Miriam College. I read that it was launched on September 8, 2001 and was designed by alumna Architect Bettina De Dios and Consunji Architects. Our Social Sciences teacher had already brought us there last year, but I can say that my experience in the gallery this year was more insightful.

Firstly, I noticed a few architectural features that affected how the work was displayed, namely the ceiling and walls. There were 3 doorways, but we entered through the main one which was connected to a short staircase. Once you step into the creative space, the first thing you would notice is the low ceiling. There was one white wall dividing the room and it was used to display more artworks. Due to these features, the gallery looked smaller and smaller once everyone started to fill up the space.

Just like me and my classmates, the paintings were also very near each other. The lack of space for movement caused us to be more careful with our steps. We were all trying to avoid bumping each other and touching the valuable artwork in the gallery. However, it still felt quite spacious because of the right choice of color for the walls, which was a pure shade of white. The blankness of the wall made the room seem bigger and also put emphasis on the amazingly vivid artworks. Personally, I did not mind that the room was crowded, since this enabled us to have a closer look at the artworks.

I also noticed a change in light levels when I entered the exhibition. My eyes took a few minutes to adjust to the different lights. On one hand, very low lighting was needed by the delicate artifacts and works on paper displayed in the middle of the gallery. On the other hand, the rest of the artworks had direct lighting that made it easier for us to see the intricate details of each piece. The exhibition only took up one room and most of the pieces were at eye-level. Some paintings done on bigger canvases, however, were placed on the floor and were leaning on the middle wall.

There were about 30 to 40 artworks in the exhibition. All of them were gifts given to the gallery by several talented female artists. Each side of the room housed artworks that implied different themes. For example, one side of the room displayed portraits of women which emphasized on strong and brave women. One side of the wall in the middle of the gallery showcased black and white artworks, while the other side contained colorful ones. Works of similar size and shape were grouped together as well. Bigger paintings were placed on the floor, while smaller paintings were hung on the wall. Some of the works featured were:

The Cycle by Maria Thibaya Mendoza,

Nude by Julie Lluch,

Aftermath by Anabel Velasquez Alejandrino,

Bougainvillea II by Lenore R.S. Lim,

and an untitled piece by Nena Saguil.

Mendoza’s “The Cycle” (1998) is a free-hanging sculpture made out of clay. Her work was displayed in a corner, away from the path where viewers would walk in, to prevent breakage. Another sculpture I saw was Lluch’s “Nude” (1998) which was made out of terracotta. One of the paintings in the gallery was an impasto oil painting on canvas by Alejandrino called “Aftermath” (1978). Meanwhile, in Lim’s “Bougainvillea II” (2000), she made a print of a bougainvillea flower on paper using a technique called etching. Interestingly, the oldest piece in the gallery which dates back from the year 1969 was Saguil’s untitled work. She used gouache on embossed paper to form circular patterns in an upright oval form in silver and gray motif.

Among the set of artworks I saw in the gallery, Joanne De Leon’s “Yellow-winged Butterfly” (1998) was my favorite. It was a watercolor piece that presents the gracefulness and simplicity of Filipino women. The artist made use of soft pastel colors, such as a creamy brown, pale blue, light pink, and subdued purple, that went well with the overall mood of the painting. The artistic style of De Leon definitely shows through the painting as the elements were very organic, meaning that the shapes were free-flowing. Delicate brush strokes were used to create the patterns and embroidery on the Maria Clara’s of the two women in the painting, while graded washes were used for the folds on their gowns and their skin. Also, thin lines were used in painting the features of the women’s faces, which I found interesting.

The overall feel of the atmosphere in the gallery is inspiring and fascinating. Although when I come back in the gallery soon, I hope that a new set of artworks will be displayed. If possible, they could lessen the number of paintings, so that it would not be overwhelming for the viewers. Also, since the gallery focuses on broadening the cultural awareness among the MC Community, then maybe they could display a short text that gives a general background of the artists and their works. This would help the viewers to better understand, appreciate, and relate to the set of artworks they will be observing.

In essence, I am genuinely thankful for the GAWA, for it empowers women to be proud of their creations and make even more works to inspire other people to get into art as well. The creative space helps give birth to insights about life, humanity, and artistic expression. It serves as a sanctuary for people who want to ponder on human existence and its magnificence.

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meeting expectations

Curiosity is inherent to us humans. We will always have the need to understand our environment and to know more about it. There are different ways to broaden our knowledge of our surroundings, and one of those is producing our own interpretation of life, the world, and its beauty. By creating something meaningful out of the resources provided to us by nature, we are able to realize its value and relevance to us.

Every piece of art includes a subject and a medium, both of which help in the process of understanding and appreciating the universe we are in and the universe within us. These creations we bring to life have the power to evoke feelings that we do not expect to feel and rekindle memories that we thought we had already forgotten. We attempt to express our creative skills and imagination by producing art that would further ignite our desire to know, appreciate, and feel.

An art gallery in Sausalito, California. 2016.

As a student, art remains relevant to me, because it motivates me to learn, deepens my understanding of the world, lessens my self-doubt, helps me develop an open mind, and enhances my creativity.

For this term, two of my academic goals are to learn about the different art forms that other Filipinos have produced and create works that would reflect my Filipino identity and self-growth throughout the term.

This subject will help me keep up with these goals, since the assignments would help us in establishing our knowledge about the contemporary art that exists in the different regions of our country. Therefore, I am expecting for this subject to be truly interesting and helpful in the long run. Since I plan on taking an art course for college, this subject would be of great help to me in preparing for what I will learn in my future course.

Mark Justiniani. Stylite. 2016. LEDs, reflective media, objects. 121.92 x 365.76 cm.

However, I am also expecting stressful meetings ahead. This is because of the fact that I take quite a long time in coming up with ideas for an artwork. We are probably only going to be given a few weeks or even days to finish our plates and the thought of that is already stressing me out right now.

Having said that, I think that it would be best for me to learn how to manage my time more efficiently in the coming weeks. Hopefully, if I am able to set my priorities straight and avoid cramming like I always do, this subject could help me improve myself and achieve my academic goals rather than burning me out and making me lose the passion I have for art.