#representationalsundays

MARVEL-OUS BEGINNING

I started having an interest in art at an early age. Growing up without the technology that we have now, we found pleasure in simple things then. We got creative in building our own toys, making use of seemingly useless materials such as bottle caps, cigarette covers, banana trunks, and just almost anything. Whatever worked and whatever kept us busy on a boring afternoon. I was also a fan of marvel cards and was so amazed at how real these superheroes seemed on the cards. I wondered if they were really real, seeing that they had photos that didn’t really look like drawings. Until some of my playmates argued with me that these characters were not real and were just illustrations. So I wondered, how come they seemed so real-looking? Can a human being really do such thing? So I tried it myself. I practiced tracing these cards on a thin onion paper (which was very popular then) almost everyday, not just to see if it is doable but also because I was a marvel card addict.😊 It is so nice to recall those childhood memories. I can say, I had a good one.

SUNDAY CLASSICS

Sunday is one of my favorite days of the week. It’s special to me because it reminds me of my family. It reminds me of my father cooking good food on Sundays, going to church together and once in a while spending the rest of the afternoon at the beach. It is on this day that I am always filled with nostalgia. It is also during Sundays that we hear the classics on the radio in the Philippines. I don’t know the rationale behind it, but it seems Sundays are meant to remind us of our memories by bringing us back to the old times through music. Stuck with this idea about Sundays and the old times, I wonder if I can make a visual version of that here on my blog.

THE SHIFT

My fascination with abstraction occurred to me just recently. I started as a social realist painter. I made pieces showing human figures, draperies, and landscapes in tackling social events and issues. I was even commissioned several times to do murals using the representational approach. I admit I sometimes miss making this type of art professionally, but I guess that’s part of one’s evolution as an artist. In fact, my knowledge in realism helped me developed my current approach in art and, without a doubt, as I grow in this career, realism will always be my guiding light.

I guess it’s just appropriate to show some gratitude to my original approach in art. So I thought of giving tribute to realism by posting not only my old representational works but also recent realistic artworks every Sunday to showcase my old style using the hashtag #representationalsundays.

So, once again, thanks for reading this blog ‘til the end. It’s so liberating being able to share an important piece of me with you, guys. I hope everyone is having fun so far. See you later. Cheers! And make this Sunday awesome!

The painting above is entitled “The Coin Catchers“, 18″ x 24”, Graphite on Canvas, 2015

This painting is about childhood, the fun, the struggles and, most importantly, the friends whom you treat as brothers and sisters. This painting also showcases my roots in art.