MakiSining Joins Philippine Art Awards

Several members of MakiSining: The Makiling Art Group, an art organization founded in Los Baños, Laguna last July 2011; joined the prestigious biennial Philippine Art Awards.  Members travelled to Taguig last 6 Aug 2011 to submit their artworks. Check them out below.  




Marvin Oloris (left) and Doel Mercado registering their artworks





Marvin Oloris' "KUNG BAKIT KASI PALIKURAN ANG TINAWAG SA PALIKURAN, 4 ft by 5 ft. Oil on canvas. Funny, fantastic and different concept. Excellent skill and execution. Guess who's the model?

Doel Mercado's MERCADO, DOEL, Mixed Media on canvas, 4ft by 6 ft. His autobiography in code. The box in the frame is his casket. Again, a style not found in any artworks i've seen. Very unique. Doel is a GSIS Art Competition Juror's Choice awardee last 2009.

Emil Rivas (left with sunglasses) and Turing Cruz (white shirt and holding green envelope) registering their artworks.

 

Emil Rivas' MY BREAD AND BUTTER, Oil on canvas. Don't know the size probably between 3x4 and 2x3 ft. Great concept of an artist's livelihood. Highly skilled impressionist/realism execution. Pork Adobo anyone? 




Turing Cruz's EXODUS, Oil on canvas, roughly 3 ft by 4 ft. An excellent abstract interpretation of a biblical event. Can you see Moses?

Nilo Delos Santos (seated with checkered shirt) and Dante Palmes (right) registering their work.

Dante Palmes' AMEN. Acrylic on canvas, 4 ft by 5 ft. Fantastic technique and execution using acrylic. Good concept also. Dante is a 2-time finalist and a one-time Juror's choice awardee, all in his first year to compete,  at the GSIS art competition. This picture do no justice to the artwork. You need to see the painting up close to really see Dante's mastery of his craft. 

Nilo Delos Santos' CREATION, acrylic on canvas, roughly 2ft by 3 ft. Colorful abstract rendition of another biblical event (or not). Pink doesn't scare Nilo. Real men wear pink hehe.

My painting - NAINIP NA SI BANTAY SA TAGAL NG HININTAY, Acrylic on canvas, 3 ft by 4 ft. This is a fun play on the progress of communication. Today messages are sent within milliseconds via SMS and thru emails much to chagrin of our beloved guard dogs. When I see a postman, sometimes I think that they are a dying breed - an endangered species.  See if you can find four letter envelopes, a mailbox, postman's bag, clock, picket fence, and a motorcycle in the painting. There are other items there also.

Another MakiSining member, Ritche Yee, a grand prize winner at the recently concluded GSIS art competition, submitted his artwork in Mindanao. I don't have a pic of his artwork. Sorry.

More on MakiSining - The art group will hold its activities and operate around 6 localities lying at the foothills of Mt. Makiling namely, Alaminos, Calamba City, Calauan, Bay, Los Baños, and Sto. Tomas, Batangas.  Its members are composed of decorated, student, veteran, professional and amateur visual artists and photographers.  The group hopes to promote art awareness and appreciation in the places mentioned.

In the future, MakiSining hopes to equal other prime art hot spots in the Philippines such as Angono, Rizal and Baguio.

ART WORK RETRIBUTION

MakiSining's Dante Alarcon's painting for the GSIS competition proudly displayed with the GSIS finalists and top paintings in the main hallway of the GSIS Museum. Thanks to the GSIS and Art Association of the Philippines for this.

The GSIS Art Competition 2011

Its my first year to join the GSIS art competition. Heck I haven't even been painting for a year - just 7 months doing it seriously when I have the time.

The exhibit is located at the GSIS Museum and artists were instructed to claim their pieces on 3 July.
If you are interested to see the exhibit then you have to schedule a visit soon.

During the awards night last 3 June I got to see for the first time all the other artworks. There were more than 400 entries.  If I can remember correctly there were 18, 14 and 4 finalists for Non-representational, Representational and Sculpture categories.

I've learned a lot in that competition and in my own opinion I can summarize it as such.

For the representational category

1. Use 1 subject only - never do a mural type painting with so much going on at different parts of the painting. Overly intricate or detailed paintings don't usually win.

2. Always use realism as a style. Impressionism will also work (such as the winning piece will show you) but employ surrealism as well.

For the non-representational category

1. Don't scrimp on paint. Use lots of it! Use lots of textures.

2. Use a non-traditional color palette and don't over do it. The less colors the better.  A sweet eye-pleasing  abstract would do.  Of course it still boils down to the judge's tastes.

3.  Get a good title. 

Here's a look at some of the pieces. I didn't bother to get the titles and names of each one. Unfortunately I had to use my cell phone to take these pics. I didn't check the batteries of the Nikon D40 camera I brought with me.  Sorry for the bad pics.

Juror's choice.  There seems to be a lot of paintings with children drawing on sand or on the ground. The realism in this painting clinched it for the artist.

Very intricate and laborious painting to make. As  I have observed, paintings like this seldom win. Too bad.  

Abstract. Very simple. Very nice minimalist painting.

Artist Dante Alarcon of Los Baños, Laguna with another Laguna artists painting.

Fantastic corn painting.  Love the details on this one but the subject did not conform with the theme.

Another nice painting.

Laguna artist Emil's painting.

Mang Turing's painting

Nice painting. When I saw this painting, the execution was very good  that I almost felt like that he was using chalk.

Fantastic realism on this one.  Concept was also very good. Wondered why it didn't make the finals.

Nice minimalist painting. The colors in this pic are bad.  Original color is very red.

Some more paintings.

Good concept...a city on a rooster's comb.

Non-representational paintings

Mang Dante's painting.  I felt a visible change in Mang Dante's aura that time when he saw where his painting was located.  I have a beef with those who placed this painting here. Number 1 - Part of it is behind a column. Number 2 - There are ATMs in front of it. Number 3 - There is a movable bulletin board also blocking the way.  In my opinion, each and every artwork should be respected.  Handlers should also be educated not to drag paintings.  Mine was dragged on the floor during the submission. My painting has no frame and with sides painted.

Finalist on the right.  Excellent classical impressionism painting.

Very nice painting.  Notice child-like drawings on the brick wall?

Very intricate painting .

The most intricate I've seen in this competition.  Fantastic skills!

My personal favorite.  The title is also a winner "Punong puno ng Pag-asa". This is pop surrealism so it didn't make the cut. Will there be a day for this style?

Excellent skill!

Some more top abstracts.

2nd Place - Aris Bagtas (left) and Dante Palmes' Virtual Zone - Juror's Choice. Pic lifted from Dante Palmes' fb album. Dante has 2 entries - both finalists and 1 made it as a Juror's Choice. Congrats Dante!

Laguna artist Dante Palmes' painting. Finalist!

Grand Winner and P240k richer. Deserving to win it!

Laguna artist Lito Ballaran's painting. When I saw this I knew it would be up there competing for the top prize. Nice concept and execution.  Finalist.

My personal choice to win it. Without the tower on his head, it would be better in my opinion. Juror's choice.

Incredible painting. Sort of like Manansala in curvism instead of cubism.  Juror's Choice I believe. But the mural concept doesn't really bode well with the judges.

Education concept for a better future.  I guessed that this was the default of many and was also the judges slant. Juror's choice.  I decided to stay away from education as my theme. Not that I think that it mattered at all.

2nd place - Representational.  Education concept = winner!

Fantastic astronaut in the background.  This guy has been painting bubbles shaped-like letters for a long time. 

Aside from the skill look at the reflection and you'll see why this was a finalist.

Sam Occeno's (guy in white) painting along with the top abstracts.

Finalist - nice strokes.

Very simple concept - Finalist.

A personal favorite. One of the top abstracts I believe. 

Children drawing on sand - a favorite concept. 

Look at the cursor pulling one of the strings. Juror's choice.

My painting covered by a railing and with the light at the back hence the painting was dark.  I didn't think I'll win anything but as I mentioned every painting deserves respect. Each one should be treated as the winner.

Congratulations to all the winners! When I say winners I mean the organizers and all the artists who joined.