My Sculpture Stories this May

After the successive visits to the XAG exhibit in Gateway, a lot of interesting things happened this month. The studio is now a frequent reservoir for sculptures before they are shipped out to different events/venues for exhibition. The limited edition pieces are doing better than I expected, so I'm working on new designs for those as well. I'm happy that my passion in art hasn't gone to waste. I know that it's pretty fortunate for me to turn my interest into what it is today. I'm very thankful to everyone who's been supporting me all this time too.. Dad brings me to far off places everyday to learn more about goldcasting. Mom supports me by handling a lot of accounting work and finding tools that I could make use of for the new studio. Jacq always goes out of her way to check for the magazine feature that's supposed to arrive soon..

Despite all the stress and hardship that people don't often see, I'm very glad I have friends and family to back me up in my art endeavors. I thank God for always guiding my mind and my hands to do the best they can.

It isn't an easy thing doing sculptures this way as some people may believe. It takes a long process and can sometimes step into your schedules and personal time, but that's what passion is. The best way to work is to work on what you love. So far the sculptor.asia website has helped me a lot. Through that, I was able to get new clients, opportunities and even a scholarship in Los Angeles. It makes me happy that the things I've learned through my college years still help me in a lot of ways other than the advertising field. Whew.. this has been quite a month.. I'm really looking forward to June and the promise new time brings to the art scene. :) Keep being awesome everybody.

Discovering Metal Alloy Cast Sculpture

These days, my sculpture practice has been taking on some new learning curves. Experimenting with white metal is no easy procedure. I've actually burnt my fingers more than ten times in the past two week of metalworking, but the discoveries that were unveiled through the process was well worth the hardships. Metal-casting is much different from casting marble (as I frequently do with my modern sculptures). For one thing, cold casting will not work here. You will need to administer extreme heat and pressure to be able to even form the basic contour of a design. Obviously the casting machines used are also different. Centrifugal casting and Vacuum casting are precisely timed techniques that make use of high-grade materials to cast molten alloys. I'm amazed at the aesthetic and design capabilities of metal media in art. The strength, durability and surface beauty are among some of the main factors I should now take into consideration when creating designs. Fabricating designs in clay is also much more flexible than wax-working designs, so I'm adjusting to the texture and surface durability of this new carving material as well. A new Dremmel tool helps me carve out patterns in the wax and refine them to a smooth state with an aluminum carbide tip.

 

Photography by Istvan Takacs

It's a real tough process, but I'm sure the sculptural endeavors produced with this new found knowledge will indeed exceed expectations. I hope to also cast mixed media sculptures someday- made of a hybrid combination of marble, glass and metal. I believe there is a contemporary elegance to the use of hybridity in sculpture and I definitely want to find that elegance through my pursuit of technique and knowledge. As a Philippine contemporary sculptor, I do wish to contribute to the country's innovation in the art circles as well. I want to make the Philippines known as a prime spot for art endeavors all throughout Asia and even the world. This is one of my dreams and passions that I keep in mind when struggling with heat, patience and endurance during sculpting sessions. Though currently in the middle of more discoveries, I'm happy to be learning and committing to more ways of visually manifesting my eve creations, as well as the new series of fauna subjects I'm preparing to roll out into the galleries.

A Visit to The Bencab Museum

A few days ago we took a roadside trip to visit the famous Bencab museum along route to Baguio. There, we met up with Bencab himself and had merienda before touring around the modern, yet exquisitely Filipino art space.






The gallery is composed of multi-floor levels and sections that showcase both permanent and rotating exhibits. You'll notice several tribal works along the lower levels, as well as a hanging arrangement of figural Filipino sculptures on the main wall. Works done in petrified wood, stone and kamagong wood are among some of the gallery's art inhabitants.

Outside the terrace cafe, they've built a beautiful garden overlooking an entire mountainin its natural landscape and flowerbeds. A patio in the middle of a man-made pond promotes an ideal location to just sit and relax with friends and a good cup of coffee.

While Bencab's art collection is among the many featured displays of the gallery, other artists such as Arturo Luz, also exhibit permanent collections there at his museum. Fine works of sculpture, painting and mixed media can be seen across the rooms and walls, decorating the entire building with an aesthetic feel of both modernity and culture. Art in the Philippines is quite the prominent trait, as many Filipinos desire to grow creatively in the various fields of artistic media and design. All in all, it was a relaxing and fulfilling visit, and I hope to go visit again in the near future.

A Sparkling Opening for XAG

April 30th, 2011- the very first celebration of art for Xavier School's alumnus. Familiar faces like Fr. Zuloaga were present during official ribbon cutting to launch the month-long Luceat Lux exhibit. The paintings that adorned the walls of the gallery lit up with magnificent works of art. Rudy Yu's seven-foot long masterpiece attracted much attention with its detailed beauty and style. Mikko Sison's abstract creations also brought up the ambience of the place, with magnificent and vibrant depths. Seb Chua's bronze stallions set the night in motion with captured scenes of pure splendor and excitement. Many other painters were also able to showcase some of their most breathtaking artworks of 2011. I was able to showcase about five of my abstract figure-artworks during the opening night. "The Gale Runner", "Infinite Perception" and two of my other works were also first appearances for the show. This line-up of one-off sculptures took me several months to complete in full. This special night was also blessed by our honored Fr. Zuloaga as he made his rounds around the venue, praying for the art and the artists alike.

Aside from friends, family and Xaverians, several guests streamed into the gallery starting from 7:30pm. It was quite a sight to see a gathering of both close bonds and art enthusiasts all at the same time. I believe that the XAG has something unique to offer the community in terms of aesthetic growth and development. Creativity was not always something famous in Xavier School, but these days are turning the tides for a new wave of artists. We began as the first eight to start the movement, now our group numbers in nearly a hundred. Next year's exhibition will surely mark a succeeding age in the continuity of our group's pursuit for the fine arts.