My latest Painting: "The Church"

Here is my next painting entitled the church which was employed with heavy tactile texture. This work had been done for nearly 8 months. The reason was because layer after layers had been added in different times. There were many times that I have stopped it. Adding, layering, removing was the common process until I was happy with the outcome. Honestly, I feel that this was not done yet, but I am happy at the outcome. Who knows I will still continue this in the future. For the meantime, I am happy of just selling five of my paintings.

Philippines and Vietnam Frindship through Arts

My First Triptych

A triptych is an artwork which is divided into three sections. In the olden times it usually composed of three carved panels hinged and folded together. I always like the principles of Gestalt (a principle where the mind completes what is missing).

Using emboss paint, I have laid the "alibata"(a pre-colonial writing of the Filipinos) on a heavy tactile texture layered canvas. Like in my previous work, I relied much on the use of found materials. Here I used corrugated box, thread, gesso, glue, and fabric. The canvas itself was recycled from some students' projects four years ago. Beneath the finished layer were different strata of paints, lacquer, gel medium, gesso, collage and other unconventional materials. I also used different chemical to remove initial layers, until I am satisfied with the effect.

I enjoy more the process rather than the finish artwork. For me, there is always fulfillment in doing each piece when you do them in a very tedious way. The finish piece is just the facade; yet the main source of my enjoyment was during the process of making it. I am sure, lots of people could only see the physical qualities of this painting, but no one really knows what is the story behind all the layers that I have done in this piece; the layers of joy, the layers of frustrations, the layers of satisfaction, the layers of discoveries and the layers of risk taking until I tell them. 

The title of this painting is John 1:1-12. Reading the passage, you can have a schema on what I am trying to explore in this piece.

Title: John 1:1-12
Mixed Media, 10" x 18" each

SketchUp ur Space MAgazine interview

Something to celebrate. SketchUp ur Space Magazine interview about me. HERE.

Magazine can be downloaded HERE.

Abstract expressionism Project

This is one of the Abstract Expressionism project of my Art 2 Students. The lesson was a collaboration between the students. Each of them were given a 60m x 1.20m canvas. They were challenge to express who they are using colors; their fears, frustrations, character, priorities. Afterwards, they shared their artwork to their partner were they use lines to describe their positive characters. They have to share their values to one another. Finally they used imprinting for their family crests and included in the center of their artwork.

The best thing in this lesson was when they start sharing themselves to the class through art critiquing. Each of them managed to express freely their life in their paintings.

Q and A asgvis

Aside from painting. They did an interview of me at asgvis.com

Here is the LINK

Malagung Dalaga (Beautiful Woman)

Again using Vietnamese character with Alibata or Baybayin script. 

In various national and regional cultures that I have known, glorifying the characteristics of woman is common. In my native province of Pampanga, I still remember the song "Malagung Dalaga" (beautiful woman) which was actually sang by my neighbors while in their beer drinking session. Those vivid memories of Tatang Peping Tagilo sining whole day with his basulto rendition are irreplaceable. I could still recall this song was even the very first song that I have mastered and sang in the stage at the age of 6 in an amateur singing context. (By the way the singing was a self-directed one- I went to the stage by myself, my mom and dad does not even know it). 

Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam have their own song about what is a beautiful woman in their context. I am sure any culture will have their own version. The middle part of Vietnam, Hue, they even have the song t"he10 characteristics of beautiful woman with o tang, o tang (just like lalalala) after every character. In the bible, there is also a passage on  what is a beautiful woman, but it's more on the inner beauty of her and how she takes her family. 

I have, a beautiful woman too.... her name is Lan, my wife, who is a Vietnamese. For me she is the fitting example of a beautiful woman. How I thank God for giving her to me. I could never replicate the kind of dedication she has with my children and me. The song in my native village "Malagung dalaga" was all written as adornment using embossed paint. The Vietnamese lady here, is a lyrical symbolism of her identity as a Vietnamese, who is so timid and shy - a common subject  I borrowed from old Vietnamese painters like "To Ngoc Van". The animal on the left symbolizes her characteristics of never giving up and her undying hardworking character. 

I love you sweetheart. This is for you.

Using 3d as preparatory studies for my painitngs

I always love using 3D software like sketchup and rendering softwares as preparatory work for my paintings.

Here are some studies for my worship series paintings









THE PAINTING

Art using 3D rendering engines.

I love digital visualizations using SketchUp and Vray. From time to time I used these softwares to create some conceptual scenes and art work. I also used different software to study lighting, forms and shapes.

Here are some old rendered images.

This one was my contest entry at suplugins.com which won first prize.



worship series studies




He is risen


Back to the Village


No time

Some old charcoal and graphite drawings

big eyes


african eyes


african eyes 2


observational drawing


dan toc vietnam

Filipinana

This time using Filipinana.

Texture detail1

 Texture detail2

Lupang Hinirang

Using Baybayin, I have written our National Item, "Lupang Hinirang" in these piece.



detail 1


detail 2

Cultural Women Series

I am inspired this year. Here are my painting in mixed media:

Alibata or Baybayin

Alibata or Baybayin is a Pre-Hispanic script. Being inspired to paint again. I revisited and learned how to write the script. Here are some of my paintings clearly incorporating baybayin or alibata.

First painting in 2011

For more than a year I did not paint. My art was mostly using 3d visualization. This year my passion to paint has returned. Here is my first painting in 2011 after almost two years of not painting.

Viuetnamese Series

In 2007, I started this series concentrating on Vietnamese Women.

Here are some of them:

Worship Series

In this series, I tried to use Google Sketchup and rendering engines like Vray SketchUp to understand lighting. In this painting, the model and rendered image were my preparatory studies.

Gestalt

I love painting and exploring different subjects and techniques. One of my favorite subject is cultural women. In this approach of gestalt study, I painted this Vietnamese woman without showing her face.

Painting on Wooden shoes

This one was actually a collaboration project at Hanoi International School. I asked all the students from K-12 to paint their wooden shoes during the international week. Here is a sample of oil paint that I did for this whole school project.

Hope Series

In the year 2000, I was extremely interested in painting a series called "Hope". I used mostly children as my subject.