January 29, 2018
If you were the subject of a painting, what part of your appearance would the artist focus on?
If I were to be painted by an artist, I believe the main focus of the portrait would be my eyebrows. I believe they are well-deserving to become the main focus of the painting. The brows I have today are most certainly not the brows I had growing up. My eyebrows have had a journey of their own, and similarly, they have a mind of their own. My eyebrows do not grow the way most do. First of all, they naturally have no shape. Before I knew how to do my eyebrows, or even cared about them for that matter, my eyebrow hair did not grow in the form of the usual arc. They grew sporadically. It was as if a gardener randomly scattered a bunch of seeds and forgot to water them all at the same time. Over time, they eventually resembled unwanted weeds that desperately needed to be tamed, plucked, and sorted out. Though I have learned how to maintain my brows, if you take a close look, you will notice tiny eyebrow hair still growing above my brows and below my brows, some even making it on my eyelid. I no longer bother with them as they go unnoticed, now only focusing on the brows themselves. It goes without saying that these brows get an abundance of tender loving care. After all the threading sessions I had to schedule in order to get my brows into shape, it is most certainly what they deserve.
Back in the Philippines, I attended a private school that did not allow makeup, giving me no reason to start wearing it. It was not until I migrated to the United States for my freshman year of high school that it started to matter. I remember walking into school on my first day of high school, noticing girls my age already wearing makeup which caught me off guard. Back then, I thought wearing makeup at the age of 13 was too early. One can only imagine how I reacted when I found out some started in middle school, around the ages of 11 or 12. Being in a new country, in a new education system, and in a new school, I felt the need to fit in, thus beginning my journey in the realm of makeup. My makeup routine back then simply consisted of face powder and mascara. Now, it has the addition of face primer, concealer, and of course, eyebrow makeup. Getting ready went from taking no time at all to having to set aside at least two hours before leaving the house, all because of my eyebrows. Technically, getting ready with five products should only take 30 minutes, but unfortunately, bad brow days happen. A new day meant a new pair of brows. No brows are consistently the same as they were the previous day (unless you are naturally born with beautiful brows). “Brows are sisters, not twins,” they say. You would think doing your brows would be a piece of cake after having to do them every day for the past three years–you are wrong. There are days where my brows will look as if they were micro-bladed or professionally done. With that, there are also days where they will look as if they were drawn on by a cartoon artist, painting an unintentional emotion on my face. The time I put into making them how I want them to be truly is a sacrifice in itself.
After the amount of trouble I have gone through, and still continue to go through, with my eyebrows, for it to be the main highlight of an artist’s painting is the least they deserve. In a way, it has become an art piece of its own, conveying a mood and speaking for itself with each furrow and raise. With this, I wish the artist a good luck as they take on the tedious task of replicating what I do to my face on canvas.
January 31, 2018
Can you teach art? Can you teach someone to be creative? How?
To me, art and creativity are not the same thing. However, they do coexist with one another. With that being said, teaching art differs greatly from teaching creativity. If teaching art was not possible, art classes and art schools would not exist. Anyone is capable of learning art, whether they naturally have the skills or not. I believe art can only be learned if the learner is willing. Art should not be forced. It is a form of expression, It is an escape. Whatever is being made, even if prompted by an instructor, the creator always has control over what is created. A class of students can be asked to draw a sun, and one’s drawing will inevitably differ from the next one’s due to each individual having their own interpretation of what the sun is to he or she. A tendency may be for one student to compare their work to another’s because it’s “better,” when that should not be the case at all. This is something I, at times, experience. However, I have learned to accept that fact that these differences showcase our true individualities as not only artists but as humans too. Ultimately, these interpretations merely reflect one’s capability to physically illustrate their ideas and perceptions, something they should wholeheartedly accept and be confident of. Art does not, and should not, reflect one’s competence but their potential.
Creativity, on the other hand, is a different story. Personally, I do not think creativity can be taught. I believe creativity is a natural trait everyone is naturally born with. It is only a matter of coming to terms with it. This issue ensues from the fact that people are deceived when they hear the word “creativity”. People often think creativity means following in the footsteps of Pablo Picasso or Vincent Van Gogh. They think it only exists in the realm of art, like being able to draw, when in actuality, creativity is involved in everything. How we perceive things already involves creativity. Having a viewpoint is creativity in itself. Each and every one of our thoughts have been illustrated and manipulated by an artist that witnesses the world differently–that artist is every one of us. Everything we do involves an unconscious personal tweak that instantly makes our creations different from one another. This relates to how we each have our own interpretations which evolve from our unique creativities. Doubting ourselves, let alone the word “creativity” itself, does not solve the problem. Let us not fool ourselves out of being able to create, as the world needs much, much more of ourselves and our ideas to create the world we all want to live in. Create, don’t hate.
February 1, 2018
Describe your ideal place to live and to work. Describe the design of your ideal studio.
White walls are lined with tall, big windows as cool-toned wooden panels make up the floors. These are two of the many requirements for my ideal home and workspace. Just like the work I produce and the lifestyle I live, I want my space to be clean. Every day would be a cleaning day, just to preserve not only the cleanliness, but the overall vibe of the place. I want to be able to come home to it, as if it were brand new, untouched yet inviting. With tall windows, the white-walled space will be brightened as natural light spills through the glass and into the room, almost like a warm welcome to anyone who walks in. I dream of a space with a variety of areas to work at: on a big, white marble table, on a comfy statement armchair placed at the corner of the living room as a reading nook, or even on a soft, patterned rug. I wish for productivity at every corner of the room. However, though it is one thing for it to feel like home, it is important for it to look it too. To compliment the white walls and cool wooden floors, I envision neutral-colored furniture and gold accents to fill the space. I can see a plush grey L-couch with white and gold-detailed pillows, topped with a soft throw blanket, perfect for lounging on a lazy day or cozying up on after a long day of work. I see a sleek marble coffee table, accented with gold, accompanying this couch, with books, magazines, and a vase full of flowers (a mix of light pink carnations and white Baby’s-breath) on top of it. I want to be inspired by my surroundings. I want to look around be able to gain ideas, whether it be from the the sunlight coming in, or from the collection of books and magazines I have, or the artworks I want hung. I want an endless amount of resources available and at my disposal. All the possible art supplies I will ever need–markers, pens, colored pencils, different types of paper, adhesives–to be kept in a room dedicated to creating would be the cherry on top to make this home my home. Home, for me, is where the creation begins.
February 2, 2018
How would you describe your art to your family member? How would you describe your favorite artist to this same person?
Clean-cut is one way I like to describe my work. Most of my work is done digitally, allowing me to achieve the precision I want in each and every one of my designs. What I create very much reflects who I am as a person. I like organization, simplicity, and details, all of which are evident in my art. A lot of what I make, you will notice, rarely have the presence of solid lines. It can be said that this is my stylistic approach, what sets me apart from others. The presence of lines, to me, just seem very restricting, mainly when done digitally. When done by hand, lines and strokes are more evocative as it lends a sense of fluidity and movement to a piece, almost like a life of its own. With digital art, on the other hand, though also done by hand, the absence of physical, tactile interaction loses that. At times, I also think it can take away from the design as a whole if used absentmindedly. Unless line usage is necessary, I always stick to using my illustrations themselves, with the help of color, to be the main focus of the piece. I want to say that one look at any of my works would reflect such an intention. However, at the end of the day, whether there are lines or not, everything I make will always have a piece of me in them, and I think that is the best way to describe my art.
Funnily enough, my favorite artist happens to be somewhat of the opposite when comparing his work to mine. Amidst my love for precision and simplicity is also my love for intricacy and complexity. The latter can be seen in Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s works. Caravaggio was a well-known Italian painter from the Baroque period. Baroque also happens to be my favorite type of art. My love for Caravaggio initially stemmed from when I first learned about the baroque art in my Humanities in high school. I instantly fell in love with this art period after learning that baroque art focused on illustrating the presence of Jesus Christ in everyday settings with the use of chiaroscuro (a technique that uses light and shadows to create a dramatic effect) and incorporating the viewer into the painting by bleeding off the canvas. As a Roman Catholic, this representation really resonated with me. It was very comforting to see that His presence is anywhere and everywhere. Describing Caravaggio and his work to my family would be just as mentioned before, that Christ’s presence is always with us. The message behind the painting is one thing, but the painting itself is another. With one glance, it is very easy to surrender oneself to the painting and picture what it would be like to feel the presence of God. The attention to detail in each painting definitely allows for not only a spiritual but also an emotional experience, which I believe is an important key of art itself.
February 3, 2018
What makes something art? Have you ever seen something on the street and though it was public art, only to realize it wasn’t?
Growing up, as a kid who attended art lessons, art was simply being able to draw. No matter what needed to be drawn, I was capable of illustrating it. My younger self would believe that that is what it took to be an artist. Though I was not entirely wrong, I eventually learned that art was much more than one’s artistic capabilities. During my senior year of high school, one of the assigned readings in my AP Literature and Composition class was Aristotle’s “Poetics”. In this reading, Aristotle expands on the role of art, specifically in the form of tragedy. Though he mainly talks about art in the context of tragedy, I believe it can be applied to other forms of art. Aristotle believes art evokes emotion from its audience. In regards to tragedy, the main goal is to achieve catharsis, an emotional release. As someone who has been exposed to art ever since she was a kid, I personally think that this idea speaks to the entirety of what art has to offer. Everything we are exposed to will always trigger a feeling within us. Regardless of form, whether it is painting, poetry, books, music, or a performance, I believe art is created as a form of expression for both the artist and the audience. Emotion is released with each brush stroke, each letter, each note, and each movement. However, emotion is also released after a viewer submerges themselves into another reality, a world beyond the physical canvas.Art holds many messages. That is what makes each work different from the next. With this, each experience also differs from the next. Certain pieces of art will have you beaming with joy. Others will have you in tears, or maybe even seeing red. With this vulnerability, it is very easy for us to mistake something as art when it is not classified as such due to our different perceptions of art. Though I personally do not recall mistaking something as public art, it is understandable for it to happen to someone. If one described art as something that captures your eye due to its beauty of physicality, then that is what they will be looking for and noticing. If one described art as something that stimulates you in any way, shape, or form, then whatever it pulls at their heartstrings is classified as art. Generally, everything we are exposed to is made to develop a reaction from us, whether it be positive or negative, so it does not come as a surprise to me that some people mistake certain things as public art when they are not. However, at the end of the day, art is what you make it.
February 4, 2018
Write about an object that you have somehow attached to a memory. How is it just an object? How is it more than an object? How does it change with context? In studio, consider drawing or painting this object.
59 colorful, crystal-like beads all strung together before a crucifix. Six prayers become 62. This is the rosary and the act of praying it. The rosary is ideally a string of beads that each indicate a certain prayer. It serves as a physical guide for whoever is praying it to keep track of what is to be prayed. The rosary, though a simple of one’s devotion and love for Jesus Christ, means more to me beyond what it actually is. The rosary I initially described, with colorful, crystal-like beads, happens to belong to my Lola (which means grandmother in Filipino). As a way of taking a piece of her with me to remember her by, the rosary she held before she was laid to rest was given to me. To say she was a God-fearing person would be an understatement as she lived her life serving and loving the Lord, a devotion she practiced so effortlessly. Since her passing, following in her footsteps has been nothing but a goal of mine.
If you knew my Lola, you would know how she prayed the rosary in the morning, as soon as she woke up, and at night, right before she went to sleep. She started and ended her days with Him. Growing up, I saw her almost like an angel, simply carrying out God’s wishes. Back in the Philippines, I attended an all-girls Catholic school where we prayed the rosary each day. Back then, praying the rosary seemed like an obligation because it was expected to be done. With my Lola, it was very natural, like she was appointed by Christ himself to follow in His footsteps. She was naturally selfless, always putting Christ and everyone she encountered before herself. She served, and continues to serve, as an important role model in my life, despite not being with us anymore. It has been a privilege getting to grow up with such a strong and influential female figure in my life. It would be an honor if I even got to be half the person she was, but I know someday, I will be. Maybe, even more.
