The future

I love my baby cousins! They're the best models! They're so "artistahin", it's crazy! I can't believe my cousins have been auditioning for commercials already. They also take voice lessons and they seem very serious about making a career out of it. I was so dumbstruck during my cousin's seventh birthday party, because she completely took the stage like! She was dancing and singing so confidently like a pro. Did I say she's only seven? I remember, when I was their age I was pressured to perform by my parents. I had stage fright and I absolutely hated the extra attention. Their generation is so different from ours. It's so entertaining to see my cousins performing at their own will. They clearly know what they want - to be famous. Maybe just for now. But, who knows? That's how all stars emerge.

Ancestors?

Here's a painting a talented artist made of my sister, my mom, and I, wearing our traditional Balinese costumes. No, not really! This is a painting in our hotel room and, coincidentally, they look just like us! My dad was the first one to notice. Indonesians and Filipinos really share the same blood, but what are the chances that they would look just like the three of us? I wonder if the artist used real models or painted these women from his own imagination. If they are real people, I'm pretty sure we're related!

Barong

During our trip to Bali, my parents scavenged for a special souvenir to bring back home. We decided to go to a painting collection store to find something distinctively Balinese. There were some striking paintings, but they actually look very similar to traditional Filipino paintings, which we have an ample amount of exhibited in our house. Then I saw the Barong paintings... Before going to the store we watched a dance-drama about a Bali-Hindi myth, which I did not quite understand. Even though I couldn't really follow the play, I was intrigued with the mythological Barong character. He is the leader of the forces of good and an enemy of Rangda, the demon queen. Barong and Rangda balance good and evil in the world. Apparently, each region in Bali is protected by their own Barong, modeled after a different animal. Up until now, I cannot make out what animal the Barong is and the mystery makes the character so appealing. As soon as I laid eyes on the first Barong painting, I had to tell my parents to get it. My parents ended up getting the painting above (second picture). Imagine that painting framed on a white wall... I tell you, you can feel the life and energy! Having the Barong on our wall reminds me of my spiritual journey to Bali. The Barong represents the traditional cultural values, such as animism, that the Balinese cherish to this day. I feel like we did not only bring home a masterpiece, but also our own Barong protector.

Salam dari Bali!

I feel so fortunate to be able to escape the country so often with my family. I love traveling to the most unexpected places like Turkey, Russia, Hungary, and Czech Republic. After every journey, I always feel enriched with the different cultural values and lifestyle I was so graciously exposed to. I always believed that opening yourself to other cultures, other than your own, elevates your individuality to a completely different platform. Being recognized as a global citizen is something that I've always wanted to attain.

Three months ago, my family and I embarked on a journey to a neighboring country, Indonesia. Although, we only stayed in Bali for a few days, it was well gratifying. I must say, I was impressed with how the Balinese strongly incorporate their traditional values into everything, specifically their art, theatre, dance, clothing and architecture. In this time-changing world, we only get to see small glimpses of our old ways. In Bali, the centuries-old tradition and culture remains vivid everywhere. Thousands of these antique temples still stand in the island. The unique style is strongly characterized by their religion. Balinese temples are not closed and are rectangular courtyards open to the sky. The shrines and altars are dedicated to the various Hindu gods. These temples are clearly valued by the locals; therefore, replacing them with contemporary buildings is not an option. The spirituality they infuse in their architecture creates a peaceful presence that can be felt by all. No wonder artists and performers around the world travel to Bali to be inspired!

WIP

I'm currently working on my second painting for my "Hard Labour" series. Although I'm only one eighth done, everything is turning out well. However, I'm pretty sure I'll be making some radical changes along the way! By the way, can you guess what exactly it is that I'm painting?

For Astrud

My baby cousin left for the US today! She's the sweetest little kid and I will miss her greatly! Whenever I see her she never fails to brighten up my day. I'm sure everyone will miss her hugs and her cute accents (American, Filipino and British?). Everyone who has met her fell in love with her in an instant. Her wit and charm is beyond her years. She is undeniably one of those unforgettable people who captivates all with her presence, even at a young age. I don't know when I will see her next. Probably after five years max. I wonder how she'll be like then. I hope she'll grow up to be a beautiful, intelligent, and charming young woman. I can't wait to see her again!

I'll always think of you! <3 Ate Gia

It's in the genes

Not a lot of people know that my mother is a fine arts graduate. She's so busy managing her own business that she could no longer find the drive to paint. It's too bad I can't find her other paintings. I'm sure she has a lot more from college, but this is the only painting of hers I could find. I wish my mom would find that desire to paint again! I always thought she was brilliant. In fact, I always looked up to her for inspiration.

Me and my mom have different styles that I think reflect our contrasting personalities. She is a realist, which makes sense because she's so logical and level-headed. Her lines are so accurate and clean, which I can never imitate. I, on the other hand, am an impressionist. I'm complex, out-of-this-world, and free-spirited, and those characteristics are perfectly demonstrated in my works. Although we're completely different, I still got the painting skills from her. Where else would I have gotten it from?

Daddy's girl

 

My dad is probably one of my biggest fans when it comes to painting. He always likes to throw in some suggestions on how I can improve my paintings, even though I don't think he actually has an artistic bone in his body. During my third year in college, I was telling my parents how much I was enjoying my visual arts classes. One day my dad called me saying, "You can shift out of commerce to pursue arts if you want! I'll support you!" I'm pretty sure he wasn't being serious, but I found it quite amusing. I love my dad for appreciating my gift in art, so I decided to make a painting for him.

Before this painting, I was purely an impressionist painter. I knew I had to branch out one day, and I thought this was the perfect opportunity! Needless to say, this was one of the most uncomplicated paintings I've ever done. Surprisingly, my vision for the painting was attained within a matter of days, which is really rare for me. This painting marked the start of Gia's personalized style. Once again, I discovered that you will never find out how things will go without actually doing it. My advice: take the challenge and try something new, because you might discover something you never knew about yourself.

The Great Rockies

The Rocky Mountains, or the Rockies, is one of the major mountain ranges in North America, stretching from New Mexico all the way up to Northern British Columbia. The mountains were sculpted millions of years ago by water and glaciers, forming graceful valleys and chiseled peaks. Up to this day, the Rockies continues to transform into its finest form. After years of exploitation by several European visitors, the mountain ranges, particularly in the Canadian side, remains in almost a pristine form. Driving up around the Rockies, I was astounded by how well the Canadians preserved their beloved mountains. Although it is a popular tourist destination, prohibitions were strictly yet understandably applied particularly in the forest lands and public parks. No one can just go mountain climbing or glacier hiking in the Rockies without a special pass by the Canadian government. The animals, such as brown bears, moose, mountain goats, and etc... were often seen around the highway, without harms way. They built bridges and tunnels to allow the animals to relocate more conveniently and also to prevent road kill incidents. Hunting in the Rockies is also banned anytime during the year.  Canadians are no doubt expert at conserving their sacred lands. Keeping their mountains away from further exploitations is clearly their utmost priority, because they're aware that it was generously bestowed to them by God. I just wish Filipinos would have the same values.

My trip to the Rockies was the perfect way to end my four years in Canada. Gliding along the glaciers in Banff was definitely my favorite, because it was something you couldn't experience anywhere else. Finally, I got to see the real Canada in its most natural form. Canada is genuinely a beautiful country, filled with beautiful landscapes and amazing people. I will be coming back one day and I hope the Rockies will still be as immaculate as I last saw it.

TAHO!

Does this painting look familiar to you? Go back and check out my "A hard day's work" sketches and you'll see that one of my sketches has actually come to life! I've chosen to paint my taho man as my first painting for my manual labour series. Why? Simply because it's my favorite! I love taho! When I was young I used to eagerly wait for the taho man to come by the house for my special cup of taho. The taho man knew that I always ate my taho with a special straw, which is odd because everyone else ate it with a spoon. Up to this day, I still love taho, but I no longer need my special straw.

I was incredibly frustrated during the process of finishing this painting. After attempting to create a bright and colorful background, I realized there was too much going on, so I decided to slowly break it down to simple blocks; however, my taho man still remained lost in the sea of colors. With my frustration, I actually left my painting untouched for weeks. When I came back from my hiatus, I looked at my painting and wondered what went wrong. The bright colors, that used to work so well with me, no longer played it's part. Right then I knew exactly why. When I was painting this piece, I was in a sad place, but I refused to allow my feelings take over my art. This time I decided to delve into my emotions. I finally decided to paint over the confused mess with dull yellow. The new solid color subdued the painting, which fit with the body expression of the taho man. I wanted to convey the excruciating physical pain the taho man was experiencing just for small earnings. In my deepest relief, I was able to successfully bring out the main subject and portray the real emotions of the painting.

Casa Bonifacio

My Tito Rey's house in La Union is breathtaking! Whenever I go to La Union to visit, I always look forward to laying at the poolside chairs, while looking out at the peaceful sunset. Of course, the Balinese furniture also largely contributes to the laid-back aura of the house. Last January, I couldn't resist taking pictures of the exquisite works of art. It's so inspiring how much attentiveness to detail was put on to these fixtures. It's amazing how our hands can produce such extravagant things! My mother always said, "In order to produce something awe-inspiring, you need passion, persistence, commitment, and your full effort." I hope to embed these qualities deeply in my system one day!

P.S. It's so ironic that I'm posting about furniture, when my family business initially started as a modest furniture business, but with passion, persistence, commitment and effort, my grandparents brought it to new heights. I guess the fascination with furniture continues to run through my blood. Now all I need is to instill these qualities in me, just like my grandparents.

Soul Sisters

I miss my soul sisters - Mish and Isara. I've been so blessed to have them with me in Canada for the past four years. It's amazing how long we managed to be so close after all those years! Most of my first year friends have vanished, but you girls have remained with me till the very end! I can't imagine surviving Canada without you two. Our bond is undeniably special! Even distance can't break us apart.

Sisters forever! Love you girlies! I miss you every single day! :x

Remember this photoshoot we had for your combined birthday party? Those were the days, huh? I enjoyed being behind the camera as much as you two enjoyed being the models. We had an amazing dynamic!

FACES

When I was young I was fascinated with faces. I spent hours and hours drawing different faces from my own head. Yup, I was quite an imaginative kid. Every time I drew a different character, it somehow ends up looking somewhat like me. Of course, this is not a new phenomenon. A lot of artists end up unintentionally painting themselves. It's definitely not vanity, it's simply inherent. Faces have been the primary focus of my early works so naturally, in photography, faces became my favorite subjects. I'm so lucky to be surrounded by lovely people with different features that exude different kinds of beauty. I particularly love taking candid pictures of people in their natural environment (a la Brigitte Lacombe). It's incredibly difficult to capture people's genuine expressions that somehow contribute to their own peculiarity, like Julia Robert's laugh, Drew Barrymore's smirk, or Dakota Fanning's stare. Reproducing the essence of a person is timeless photography, which I believe Brigitte Lacombe masters effortlessly. One day I want to be just like her - the master of her own craft.