Tagak (white herons)

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AB was always requesting for a sunset from me before, so finally here's her sunset.... With a little bit of my touch in the foreground of course ha-ha....! Here's my version of a majestic looking Philippine White Heron.... Aren't they lovely....? I always see this bird in the rice fields when i was still in the philippines.... But you know what, i've never done this before in colors.... Actually, this is only the second time that i've drawn this bird in colors, the first one was with my last drawing below.... =D

Beast of burden

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A couple of hours ago i was thinking of a scene to draw, something Filipino again of course ha-ha....! It's been a while since i last updated my blog so i was really trying to finish this as fast as i could tonight.... I was thinking of another landscape, but a plain landscape would be a bit lifeless isn't it....? That's why i've end up adding this Carabao and its calf in the foreground.... Looks alright....! I call this one, "Beast of burden" because this beast is always involved in the hardworks and heavy loads in the farm....

Babae sa kumot (Lady in the blanket)

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It's been a while since i last posted a new drawing here, so before everyone gets bored of coming over and waiting for a new one to be posted, here's another drawing that i did just a couple of hours ago hope you'll like this one.... This is my imagination gone too far ha-ha....!

Actually the whole idea of this composition is not about the naked lady, but about the blanket she's sitting on....! I was just trying to find out if i know how to draw a large piece of fabric with all those folds, twists, and wrinkles on it.... The naked lady is just an added attraction....! =D

Labandera ( Laundry Lady )

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It's been a while since my last art.... I was so busy doing a lot of things lately plus a job that i've found online so the only time that i can do some blogging is during the weekends.... Anyways, here's another one for yous.... This time it's about the Laundry Lady or Labandera in Filipino....

In some remote towns where the shallow rivers are still alive with crystal clear water from the cool springs and large river channels high up in the mountains, this is a very common sight mostly in the early morning when it' is still cool and free of the baking sun.... The women, mostly housewives gathers by the rocky bank of the river to wash their laundry in a large galvanise pans that we call Batya in filipino language.... Have a great weekend all....! =D

Harana (Serenade)

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Since the whole world is going to celebrate Valentines Day soon, i wanted to share to you this drawing that i've really composed today for the coming day of love and lovers.... I call this piece Harana (serenade).... Well, this doesn't usually happen under a mango tree like my version here because the parents then were very strict, but i think this is close enough....! =D

The filipino traditional Harana usually took place just below or by the maiden's bedroom window where she can look down and listen to the patient lad and his guitar offering a lovely song as his way of telling her his humble, and honest intension.... This is still a very common practice in small towns and barrios nowadays, but does not exist anymore in the big cities where the present generations were already influenced by the western ways and lifestyles....

....Happy Valentines Day all....!!!

Kalesa (Horse carriage)

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While nursing my sore left shoulder and arm, my right hand was busy doing this....! Actually, i'm not sure if i did it right here.... I really don't remember how a Kalesa looks like, this is just how i've imagined it.... This is the taxi cab of the old days in the philippines.... The humble and undying Kalesa is still being used in some other parts of the country but mostly for tourism purposes only nowadays....

Though i believe that we've just inherited this ways of transport from the spanish era, the humble Kalesa has been and will always stay as an icon and a great symbol of the filipino culture and traditions.... =D

Lumang Gulong (Old tyres)....

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Where there were small towns, with small crowded streets, and less heavy busy traffic, amidst the towering highrises of a modern and progressive city, the rolling of an old tyre always exists.... Interestingly, street games for kids the less luxurious ones are strangely seasonal too, i don't know the reasons why but that's how they are eversince....!

Maybe when they got bored of one type of game like playing a wooden-top for instance, they then shifts to another all at once like some sort of a blast of trend.... But one thing is for sure, street games never runs out like a wheel that had kept on rotating constantly from bottom to top, top to bottom, and around again.... Like these pieces of old and worn-out tyres in the drawing, probably a piece of junk to others, but for those who can't afford the luxury of a remote controlled car, or a bicycle perhapse, these old tyres and sticks are fantastic pieces of toys that deserves a special warm corner inside their shanty houses to park.... =D

The birth of a republic

This is my own version of the scene taken from the creation of the philippine national flag.... I did this painting somewhere in 2002 and i was quite pleased with the results.... This painting is quite large in size, a 122cm x 91cm oil on canvas....

I got another one that is much larger than this but just this one alone is already more than a handful....! At first i didn't know where to hang it because of it's size but finally i was able to find a good spot right on top of my wall unit which is perfect....

Bananas

Back in the philippines, in the city where i grew-up, there's a lot of banana plantations.... Farmers often harvested their crops while they're still green, it will then undergo a forced ripening process inside a Nipa shed before hitting the market when the fruits had already ripened....

This is a very common practice amongs farmers and is being handed down from generation to generation.... They believe that forced ripening method brings out the natural flavour and sweetness of the fruit.... Well, there's nothing wrong believing that myth but nowadays we never worry about that anymore.... Just leave it all to the genetic-science ha-ha....! This is a 91cm x 91cm oil on canvas....

Umaga sa nayon....

In this painting i was trying to capture the serenity of the life in the village back home.... I didn't felt like i was successful in creating that scene so it's up to you now to judge whether i got it close enough ha-ha....! Anyways, this is how a traditional style village look like back in the philippines.... There's not much like this to be seen anymore nowadays due to the speedy expansion of the modern ways and lifestyle, but seeing one of these is quite a fascinating experience....! Another one of my larger size artworks, a 153cm x 101cm oil on canvas....

We were children once....

Who could ever forget the beauty of their childhood.... I envy the youth, sometimes i wish to be a child once more and enjoy the freedom, and wonders of being young again.... There's so much in a child's world that had kept us coming back for more even just in our thoughts....

So this painting is obviously a product of my youthful thoughts, all the influences and learnings that had mould me into the man that i am now.... This one is not so large, only a 45cm x 61cm oil on canvas....

Cockfighting

Illegal to some, but a favorite past-time in most parts of the philippines.... If there will be an olympic events in cockfighting, i'm sure that the pinoys will not be left behind scratching their heads because we are the champions amongs champions when it comes to this kind of sport....!

Also a common sight in small villages and towns, Sabong as we commonly call it is quite a drag among spectators.... You wouldn't even expect seeing a basketball left rolling on the ground unmanned when this cockfighting begins....! This painting is a 61cm x 91cm oil on canvas....

The hunter....

You can still see the carpet at the background.... I took a shot of this on the floor, the reflection of the light from the window affects the camera so i've decided to put it flat on the floor....

The painting is about a native hunter standing on a mound of rocks, trying to make a clean shot with his poison dart.... Aiming at maybe a bird or a monkey.... I was trying to create a scene here of a dense forest with the fog and the rays of the sun penetrating through the leaves and the trees.... This is a 46cm x 91cm oil on canvas....

Weaving woman

I found a photo of this in the internet and decided to transfer it to canvas.... It turned out nice, but actually this one freaks me up every night ha-ha....! It looks a bit scary though ha-ha....! But i like the lines on her face, it's so challenging to paint.... This is a 75cm x 100cm oil on canvas....

Munting gamo-gamo....

From the famous books written by Dr. Jose Rizal during his time, Munting Gamogamo was one of my favorite stories of all time.... Actually in this painting, we're not talking about the boy or those books he's reading....

If you've noticed those moths flying around the glow of the kerosene lamp, that's what this painting is all about....! The whole story by the way, in case you haven't heard of it yet is quite short but tells a lot of lessons in life directed to the youths.... This is a 71cm x 51cm oil on canvas....

Dyesebel

Ha-ha....! I don't know why i painted this 'coz it's so off the topic....! Has anyone ever heard of the name Dyesebel....? Even played by some popular celebrities in philippine cinema like Vilma Santos, and Alma Moreno....?

A mythical creature, half human and half fish that had fallen inlove with a fisherman.... Actually i was trying to finish a very ugly unknown brand of white paint that day which i bought impulsively, but i dont want to throw it away so i've decided to paint just anything that comes in my mind and use it the abusive way ha-ha....!

Amazingly, it came out quite well though it's a bit thick probably because of the word " ABUSE " i suppose ha-ha....! This is a 91cm x 61cm oil on canvas....

Bullfighting

Bullfighting is still a part of some fiestas and celebrations in most parts of the philippines.... Only been converted into a form of gambling by some, but in any angles the sport is still a so pinoy tradition....

Seeing two bulls fighting like this armed with bowing sharp horns and massive structures is totally an absolute fearsome sight, so i've applied a lot of sharp corners and angles here to really capture the rage of the moment.... This is a 91cm x 61cm oil on canvas....

Tropical fruits

These are tropical fruits....! But what's so special about this tropical fruits....? I think it's how you compose the settings and things in a painting that makes it unique....

In this painting, i was trying to get the real texture of every fruits in the picture.... All the shadows and the depth of colors.... I don't know if i was successful in creating that but here it is, it's up to you now to judge it yourselves....! This is a 61cm x 46cm oil on canvas....

Old Ifugao man

This is sooo fantastic ha-ha....! A lot of my friends here wants to have this one and even attempted to buy it but they never succeeded ha-ha....! This is one of my favorite work.... I like the lines on the face, so realistic....! And incase that this looks so familiar, yes it is from a photo of an ifugao man that i've found in the web somewhere in 2002....

I felt the drive to paint straight away when i saw that so i grabbed my paints and brush and start tranfering it to this canvas....! Sounds so easy....? No it wasn't because i've spent almost two months on this one just on the lines of the face alone....! This is a 61cm x 91cm oil on canvas....

Bamboo wall

I was thinking of adding some other things to this rather than just a bare bamboo wall, maybe a lizard perhaps or a moth clinging to it.... But then i said nah....! Just leave it as it is and besides, this painting is all about the wall anyway so why cover some parts of it....! Just leave it bare, show more bamboos he-he....! This is a 46cm x 91cm oil on canvas....