COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES: My Art Story in a Nut Shell Part 2

COLLEGE

I took up BS Biology Major in Microbiology at UPLB.  I joined an academic organization, Genesoc, wherein I became sort of a resident artist for a while. 

The Oblation of UPLB in front of the HUmanities Building. The Oblation was designed by National Artist Guillermo Tolentino.

We had yearly exhibits that required my assistance. It was still not the age of computers, tarpaulin and full-color large-scale printing. One exhibit that I remember quite well was “Genetics in Pop Literature”. At that time Jurassic Park was just a recent major hit and the X-Men where very popular but not yet made into a full length hi-tech movie. Walter Laviña, and Leonel Cadapan (I think) and I labored several nights to make the posters. We only used poster color paint, pens and markers to make them.   

The logo(?) of Jurassic Park that we recreated.

The X-Men. I used to draw a lot of cartoons when I was younger and I believe Wolverine is the most drawn character for the X-Men.

I represented the organization in one poster making contest for the annual February Fair and got the top award for the environmental poster category.  I received about P1,500. This is the only award that I ever received during my college years. It was the only art contest that I ever entered.  I have no copy of the artwork and not sure where it is now.

Sadly the UPLB Feb Fair has changed so much. Back then organizations built exhibit booths for the public and not just a place to hang-out.  I remember we made a giant crocodile's head with a ballot box body and a face with a giant gasmask back in the early 90's. The crocodile was a political statement. The gasmask was environmental.

I drew portraits and experimented on miniature water color painting during my baccalaureate years.  I have given some as gifts and have not seen one since nor remember who I gave it to.

I also joined a music ministry in college – The UPLB Lisieux Music Ministry.  Here I shared my singing (?!) and dancing (?!) talents.

I worked as a student assistant for the UPLB Museum of Natural History in the last year of college.  There I was again - an artist.  I drew animals for T –shirt printing and painted on small wooden blocks that were sold as souvenirs. If you bought one in 1995-96 its probably my painting. 

A huge whale skull at the Museum of Natural History.

I doodled a lot whenever I didn’t like my subjects.  My notebooks are always filled with drawings. Threw them all away though.

EMPLOYMENT

For many years I stopped drawing and settled into the professional life.

Occasionally of course I would pick-up a pen whenever I didn’t have anything to do and doodled.

I helped my then med student girlfriend on her school manuals.  It was a requirement to illustrate external and internal, macro and micro details of the human anatomy.  I used colored pencils for these.  I do that for her in the weekends. Now I believe that I have a fair knowledge of structures of the human body that I can illustrate each part with some justice.

The Gregorios at the lobby of Riceworld. Behind them is a rare tile mural by National  Artist Vicente Manansala.

I started working at Riceworld Museum in 2003. As a visual person, I used my skills to design exhibits for IRRI.  When I started, every exhibit that I designed was all hand-drawn.  Today I do 3D designs and photorealistic rendering using Google SketchUp Pro with IDX Renditioner.

An outdoor exhibit for rice.

3D render of a proposed rice product exhibit.