Joining my first group art exhibit “Dinhi sa Baybay (Here in Baybay)”

I’ve been lucky enough to be invited to join an artist guild here in my locality Baybay City in Leyte, Philippines. It was such an honor and also a pride to be associated with master artists here. Some of the members are award winning artists and have been painting full-time.

“Dinhi sa Baybay (Here in Baybay): An Art Exhibit” showcases the works of the Visual Arts Association of Baybay (VAAB). The association is composed of up and coming artists and esteemed award-winning artists in Baybay City, Leyte.

Participating artists for this exhibit include:

Marvin Alidro
Buen Josef Andrade
Lito Cana
Mizael Cerna
Domingo Bebot Flandez
Rico Palacio
Dazzilyn Palermo
Paulene Cari-Perez
Dicoper Pernites
Billy Pomida
Jude Nonie Sales

The artworks are also for sale at reasonable prices and part of the proceeds will go to charity.

The exhibit is in K of C Building at the Baybay City Veterans Park. Entrance is FREE. This is also a side light of the city’s annual fiesta celebration. The exhibit runs from December 8, 2017 until January 5, 2018.

 

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Newest Artwork

After so many months, I finally decided to pick up a brush and paint again. It was really a busy time for me these past few months because of work and preparing for my wedding and all that. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon when I decided to paint this watercolor rendition of a farm scene by Fernando Amorsolo (May 30, 1892 – April 24, 1972) – a National Artist in the Philippines. I love his paintings as he depicts the rural setting in the Philippines in a romanticized way. He also makes good use of lighting and it makes me think of how it is in the rural farm areas in the Philippines during Amorsolo’s time in the 1920s-50s. The one I did was Amorsolo’s “Family Gathering Fruits”.

For me, the process was hard at first because I still need to make a rough sketch of the thing with a Staedler mechanical pencil and a gum eraser and then apply the watercolor. It was not as hard though as rendering the painting from an actual photo because the original artwork was in oil on canvas and pretty much the work was cut out for me. I had a hard time doing the faces and the complexion and have to make sure that I can maintain the lighting and the value of the painting. I also had difficulty in the painting process because of my limited variety of watercolor brushes. I was only limited to using the flat ones and I think I only used a round brush in the more detailed ones. Maybe if I have enough money, I can buy the outrigger brush and the all-important hake brush for watercolorists. All in all, I am more confident using watercolor as a medium as compared to acrylic (I have yet to try oil). Plus, I want to finish a painting in only one sitting.

So there! My “comeback” watercolor painting. I hope I can do more this month or in the coming months.

Dimensions: 10 x 15 inches (?)

Medium: Watercolor (Reeves)

Paper: Arches 300 gsm

 

 

A childhood dream

I always wanted to draw when I was a kid. I used to draw using any kind of materials I can get my hands on – charcoal (from burnt firewood), my mother’s lipstick, rocks, clay from a broken pot, my father’s fountain pen, crayons, pencils (of course), and ballpoint pens.

Of course, you need to have paper to draw on. But if that is not available, I would draw on our walls (which is not a good idea). I drew every thing that I can think about. It’s really a fun experience because, as I draw, I also create my story out of it. We live near a factory, and a wharf. The setting really amazed me – all the machinery, the plant’s buildings, pipes, the ships docking and departing – it was all such an awesome sight. I would draw and recreate everything I saw from memory and make stories as I draw. I would copy X-MEN cartoons. Sometimes I scan on encyclopedias and read more on art and the great masters . I wanted to become a painter and an artist at that point.

I further enhanced my drawing skills when I was in grade school. I would join poster-making contests and art contests. Sometimes I even win awards.

But my love for drawing slowly waned when I was in high school. There were a lot of things that I wanted to do other than drawing. I focused on other hobbies like music and sports. When I went to college, I totally forgot my childhood dream. We were financially struggling, so enrolling in expensive universities or taking up expensive courses was out of the question.

Now that I already have a job and independent, I have been pondering on the things  that I really love to do. Until the thought hit me! I wanted to make art again. I wanted to fulfill that childhood dream. I can be an artist even if I don’t have a degree in fine arts, I thought.  With research and countless hours on Youtube tutorials, I stared picking up a brush.  I gained confidence as I finish more paintings.  I started with a Reeves watercolor set. I also purchased inexpensive brushes. I also tried my hand on acrylics and portrait sketches to see which medium I am really comfortable with.

I am still in the process of improving my craft. I am hopeful, I will be better someday.

 

Here’s a watercolor I made. This is a scene of Calle Crisologo in Vigan, Ilocos Norte, a famous tourist destination in the Philippines.