Finally Got The Job!

It was on June 19, 2009 that I finally decided to hand in my letter of intent and resume to the National Historical Institute. I applied for the job as Curator since my aunt retired around three (3) years ago. I waited. Then weeks later after typhoon Ondoy hit the country, I got a text message asking me to report for interview. I went and got the biggest surprise of life for it was a panel (consisting of 11 section chiefs)interview. Then again I waited. Then another text message asking me to report and prepare my requirements. A friend told me I'm already hired. Still, I waited for the appointment papers. And I got to sign them first week of December. I had my oath-taking on December 7 then report to the Aguinaldo Shrine on December 8. It felt like an ordinary day since I have known the staff ever since I was in college for I have always helped out and worked as a volunteer. Every morning that I report for work, it is always like coming to a second home. I feel so comfortable. It may be the sea breeze or the clean environment. OR may be because it is where my roots are. I sometimes feel my great grandfather walking by my side as I do frequent rounds of the 7000 sq. m. plus property. I hope he can also whisper what else to do...

Late afternoon walk at the grounds of the Aguinaldo Shrine...Photos

What is Genius? | Escape Into Life

What is Genius? | Escape Into Life

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Suman

sSteamed glutinous rice wrapped in banana leaves, Suman has been an all-time favorite food; a staple during the Holiday Season. I've known a cousin named Norma who has been in the business of making Suman for over 30 decades; probably inheriting it from our forefathers. Known to have originated in a barrio called Toclong or "Lupang Kawit", Suman is a part of Kawit (Cavite) culture. I took these photos while I indulge on a bar of Suman complete with shredded coconut and traditional brown sugar called "paldo". Yummy.

My Latest Prints

I've been wanting to try my hands on doing traditional prints but with the nature of my full time job, the closest I got was with the use of a computer software. I manipulated photos I took using my Sony Cybershot to generate diiferents works of art. Here are some of the post processed outputs.

Sir Soni Chavez' Creativity On Wood

Here is a young artist I met in Sining-Caviteño REDbolusyonaryo Art Exhibit last May 2009. He pours his creativity on wood, a medium closest to his heart. Based in the upland and rustic town of Indang, Cavite, Philippines, Sir Soni Chavez takes full advantage of the natural characteristics of wood and for his art, reclaimed wood. He carves, sculpt, and mixes other media with recycled wood to create a unique artwork. It must be his training in Psychology that triggered his passion for abstract and surrealist style. I think his works convey an influence of culture and contemporary art. According to Chavez, pulling out the natural beauty of an old wood by carving, cutting, mixing shapes, and painting on the surface is great way to express oneself and it is also an excellent way to beautify something that may have been ordinarily considered trash.

Pierre-Abraham Rochat Illustrations

Lovely illustrations by Pierre-Abraham Rochat. Shared by Lethe Bashar, founding editor of Escape Into Life via tweeter.

Mario Corea Atello | Escape Into Life

Mario Corea Atello | Escape Into Life

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I have been surfing the net about mixed media collage ever since I got introduced to it by my dear friend Nimfa Ursabia. I stumbled on these art works by Mario Corea Atello. I simply like to share them...

torVs' Watercolor

When I started out as a traditional artist(hobbyist) in the late 80s, watercolor was one medium I was so fond of, second to oil. I experimented a lot and gave most of them (watercolor works) away to friends as gifts and now I am wondering what they did with them. I started recalling about my watercolor pieces when I met this young artist from Nueva Ecija via deviantart.com. He is Victor Cortez Banalagay. Victor now works as a graphic artist. Two years ago, I promised him that I shall promote him and his watercolor. For one reason or another, probably by some academic career distractions, I failed to fulfill. And now to create more interest in traditional art which I myself also miss doing, I am sharing his early watercolor pieces fresh from my 2007 folder.

Kids: Perfect Subjects

I've often heard artists and photographers say that children are one of the most interesting subjects of any art. Growing up as an artist in a big family (13 in all), I agree. In any occasion at home or elsewhere, my nieces, nephews, grandnieces and nephews would always oblige for a pose. They're so natural and funny! Here are some of my cute family members as subjects of my Filtrographs.

Dancescape Photo Art

Here is the other Ursabia. Husband to mixed media collage artist Nimfa, Victor Ursabia captures dancers' performance in the studio or stage. As a viewer, I have always felt the dancers' individuality with movements that transcend into a creative event. There is always the intertwining of darkness and light, shapes, lines and rhythms. Bathed in lights, Victor's dancers are always in a trance and their hearts, as others say, seem to beat along with the camera's shutter speed. I must say, it is truly Victor's world. He understands every beat for he himself is a ballet artist...

Historic Fish Ponds

I have not ventured on photography as a serious endeavor for now since my Sony Cybershot has provided me enough satisfaction for documenting scenes for my Filtrographs. I am happy with its performance. I thought one needs an extremely expensive camera to capture a slice of life and convey a message but with these photos of fish ponds which I took, the messages conveyed are beyond environmental preservation. The ponds are found across the Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite, Philippines and viewed from the tower, one sees the ponds connecting farther with the Cañacao Bay and the Manila Bay. Old townfolks said Spanish galleons anchored at the Manila Bay give a sight to behold during the late 19th century.

Fascination with Fretworks

I love wooden fretworks. It must be because I grew up in a house built in 1919 which used to have all kinds of designs that rendered a distinct design personality. I have learned from old folks that many of these were done by hand. Now, seeing them anywhere gives me this feeling of the need to preserve them. Here are two which I saw at Cafe Marcello in Imus, Cavite, Philippines.

My Great Grand Dad

We fondly call him "Lolo Miong", Emilio F. Aguinaldo, first president of the Philippine Republic. Despite the intrigues created by historians on his being a hero, he has remained an inspiration to many of us, the fourth generation of the Aguinaldo clan and to a lot of other people. Being an artist myself, I have found him an interesting subject of art. Here are some filtrographs I have created with a modern flair to pay tribute to his greatness .

Thirteen

We are thirteen. I found these Filtrographed images of me and my 12 other siblings in an old folder. They're products of my experiment on photo manipulation. I am sharing them online since a lot of people are amazed at this photo taken in the late 60s by an unknown photographer in Antipolo. I think I was only 5 years old then.

My most viewed art piece

I've got to share this. This is my most viewed Filtrograph in my red bubble online gallery.

Deconstructing the Madonnas

I have known Nimfa Ursabia just for a year now but it seems that I have known her for ages. We have worked together in several occasions for a photo club and she has never ceased to amaze me. Collage is Nimfa Ursabia's preferred medium of work. It is a personal thing;her form of self expression in the arts.Ursabia sees it as free- flowing.She thinks about it, yet, she does not think about how it will really end.Ursabia conveys all these in Deconstructing the Madonnas,her first one-woman show in late September, 2009 which I am curating.While she explores the medium, she relates every piece to recreate the spirituality of Mary.