CXLIII: GIVE ART ON CHRISTMAS DAY 2022

This past year’s Christmas Day art endeavor was a bit different from previous years’ in that the usual smooth and scheduled process was significantly delayed, and therefore this blog entry too is, by about two weeks.  In fact, the only part that wasn’t was the artwork itself, therefore we should probably talk about that first.

The search for a suitable Christmas artist began early enough, perhaps even slightly earlier than in the past.  By around Holy Week, I had received a strong recommendation to contact a young artist based in Malolos, and by July, I had managed to contact him.  Very quickly, he responded with three studies.  

The first of the three was a rather standard Mother-and-Child, therefore we could easily eliminate it.  The second was an interesting scene of an older gentleman hanging up a Christmas lantern by a window with the help of what might be his young grandson, but without a more complete background story, it might come across as unnecessarily melancholy or too dramatic for the season.  And the third one was a Nativity tableau with a Filipiniana theme.

This last one, while rather spartan and still almost standard, became the springboard for what we eventually chose to do – a Nativity scene in a church mirrored by a small Filipino family opposite it.  

By mid-September, the artwork was fully laid out and ready for rendition.

The warm and rich Christmas-sy red background came first

followed in short order by the Holy Family in their recognizable traditional colors

and soon after that, the human family as well.

In just a few days later, the artwork was complete, and one could already clearly make out Saint Francis of Assisi, the putative inventor of the first Nativity tableau, positioned on the main altar.

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As in previous Christmases, most Christmas card recipients would receive a small book pack, which this year consisted of three (very) slim volumes.  First was a quite revelatory treatise, “Trolls for Sale” by Jonathan Corpus Ong.

Next was the follow-up to last year’s very popular book pack entry, Tarantadong Kalbo 3.

The third was a brief but sufficiently comprehensive biography of the greatest Filipino hero of our lifetime, “Benigno Aquino” by Sylvia Mendez Ventura.

This year, most Christmas cards could be accompanied by the reliable and much-sought-after Ortigas Foundation desk calendar for 2023.

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Actually, the Ortigas desk calendar probably wasn’t as reliable as they were in the past, as they only came off the press at the end of November, whereas previously they could be on sale as early as October.  But ultimately this tardiness did not matter, as there were too many other delays on the critical path.

First, we had to switch to a different printing press for the physical Christmas card, as one of the founder-proprietors of the press that we had been using for about fifteen years by now had passed away and the family had decided to close the business for good.  

Unfortunately, I had only known about this business decision rather late in the day, so I had to hurriedly find another press, which, with professional assistance, I managed to do.  But with a change of vendor predictably comes teething pains, including mistakes in font size for the artist note on the back of the card and a wider overall aspect ratio for the finished card due to a different print sheet size versus what the previous press had used.  As a result, the printed card too was delayed in delivery and arrived nearly two weeks later than planned.

The more serious delay was that of the book packaging, and this too was due to a death – of our long-running and truly reliable craftsperson, Rheeza Hernandez of Malolos.  She had been undergoing treatment for cancer, and had received surgery not long before supplying the package design for our 2021 Christmas pack, which was hoped would finally arrest the disease.  Sadly, it was not to be, and that turned out to be the last package that she would ever make for us.  Rheeza passed away in mid-2022, just as I was about to remind her to start thinking of designs for this year’s gift pack.

I had to find other ideas and sources of suitable package designs, and I did find one, though perhaps more pedestrian and less innovative than anything that Rheeza could come up with.  These were mat-woven red-colored and Christmas-ornamented book purses, which were practical enough.

The problems came once the books and calendar were being placed into them, as their zippers would break upon opening and closing.  A frantic repair job on most of the packages resulted in wholesale replacement of the flimsy zippers, which in turn destroyed the mat material of many of the purses, rendering them to be scrapped.  Limited supply of the purses necessitated the use of other package designs, such that there were several different kinds of Christmas packaging this year rather than just one standard one as originally planned, including:

unornamented 

unpainted

freshly-harvested they’re still green

or fancy enough to take to a picnic in the 19th century English countryside.

Some of these replacement packages were delivered to us after Christmas, with the result that we had to dispatch several of the book packs “naked”, i.e., without these bespoke packaging designs and instead in just clear cellophane fastened with packing tape.  The delivery delay also caused some of the packs to be distributed closer to New Year’s Day.

Sorry, Rheeza, I blame you for this disaster.  You are sorely missed.   May you rest in peace.

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In the end, we hope that everyone who was supposed to receive something did, even on a delayed basis.  At minimum, they should have received the Christmas card, with cover artwork by Renz, whom we should turn back to now to formally introduce.

Born in 1996, Renz Cortez Dela Cruz is a licensed mechanical engineer and artist from Paombong, Bulacan, who currently resides in Malolos.  He had been drawing as early as his kindergarten and primary school years, competing in several school-wide poster-making contests, and went on to represent his high school in provincial and regional interschool art competitions.  While an engineering major at the Bulacan State University, he was influenced by peers who were fine arts majors to explore oil as a medium.  Today, he also produces drawings in ink and paintings in watercolor.  

And his artwork:

Renz Cortez Dela Cruz

HALINA SA BELEN!

Oil on Canvas

18” x 24” / 46 cm x 61 cm

2022

“Halina sa Belen!” depicts a scene shortly after early Christmas morning mass, where a small Filipino family, despite their likely eagerness to return home to open gifts, welcome visitors, and share a specially prepared festive meal, takes time out to visit the life-sized Nativity tableau by the church’s main altar and venerate the Christ Child in the manger, watched over by the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph.

And so from Renz and all the other providers of this year’s (mostly delayed) Christmas art and literature showcase, and my family and me,

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon!

Originally published on 14 January 2023.  All text and photos (except where attributed otherwise) copyright ©2023 Leo D Cloma.  The moral right of Leo D Cloma to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted.

CXXXIII. Give Art on Christmas Day 2015

We were introduced to this year’s Christmas card artist by an old friend from Bulacan who happened to be the artist’s aunt.  She was all praises for her nephew, which made me a bit sceptical because, you know, if you can’t rely on your kin to give you an endorsement, you’ve got other bigger problems.

I contacted the artist and asked him to send me some ideas for Christmas-appropriate themes.  In due course, he sent me some interesting snapshots that he had done adapted into studies, including this series on the Christ-Child in the manger:

Rather more interesting was a set of photos and studies of children making Christmas lanterns:

It was becoming apparent to me that this artist had a distinctive style – photorealistic, certainly, but irreverent as well.  Here is his take on a famous Caravaggio painting of “Christ at Emmaus”:

The artwork is painted on a salvaged hardwood tabletop, seen to scale in this shot of the artist beside it:

At the time we were discussing our Christmas artwork, he was also planning a large-scale painting on “The Women of Malolos”, inspired by the group of young ladies made famous by Jose Rizal’s letter to them in 1889.  Here is the photograph that he staged for this project:

And one study that came out of it is this one:

He said that he had not yet begun this artwork as he had not yet found a taker for it, possibly because its large size (eight feet wide by four feet tall, or even larger if desired) will require a special place.  So if you happen to have a large blank wall in your home, and are game for something that will definitely be noticed by visitors and talked about, why not go for this?

Our artist’s most famous artwork to-date (possibly now challenged by our Christmas card) is this prize-winning masterpiece from two years ago, “Natalo Ako”, about which more later.

Returning to our Christmas artwork, we eventually converged on the subject of children making Christmas lanterns.  Here it is in production in the artist’s home workshop:

The finished artwork is our largest Christmas piece ever, measuring four feet wide by three feet tall:

Kiko Marquez

“THREE KINGS”

Oil on canvas

36” x 48” / 91 cm x 122 cm

2015

Born in 1993, Jay Roque Aguinaldo Marquez is a native of Hagonoy, Bulacan, and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts at the Bulacan State University in Malolos City.  Despite his relative youth, Kiko is already a prolific painter, illustrator, photographer, and layout artist.  He has participated in several group exhibitions including those at ManilART (SMX MOA, 2012), at the Art Center (SM MegaMall, 2013), and at the Philippine International Art Fair (SM Aura, 2014).

Kiko Marquez’s artworks might be described as “photorealism with passion,” most famously exemplified by his grand prize-winning work, “Natalo Ako,” for the Shell National Student Art Competition in 2013: what first appeared to be a blown-up photograph of a freshly-harvested human heart but upon closer examination is revealed to be a hyperrealistic image resulting from numerous brush strokes and several layers of oil paint.  In many of Kiko’s works, photorealism is also combined with what might be thought of as “controlled whimsy,” as in the carefully-positioned doodles in this Christmas-themed artwork, “Three Kings.” 

Contact Kiko Marquez and view his other artworks via his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jhaypixelated

And so, from Kiko via me and my family,

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon!


Originally published on 3 January 2016.  All text and photos (except where attributed otherwise) copyright ©2016 Leo D Cloma. The moral right of Leo D Cloma to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted.

CXXXII: Give Art on Christmas Day 2014

This year, we had started really early in commissioning our Christmas card artwork.  Soon after the New Year, we had already zeroed in on the artwork.  In truth, we had contacted him the year before, but previous commissions had made it difficult for him to accept one for us in time for Christmas 2013.  Thus, an early start in time for Christmas 2014 was essential.

I had first seen one of his artworks online some years back, appropriately enough, also a Christmas subject.

I thought, what a beautiful work, if rather melancholy, which in fact appealed to me.  And very Filipino too.  Later, I located other artworks of his online, on diverse subjects such as a typical market scene,

an oil lamp,

laundry women,

Christmas lantern makers,

the head of Christ,

even a portrait of “Sister Vicky.”

Clearly, the artist had sharpened his technique over time to achieve a near-perfect photorealistic style.  I therefore made a mental note to look up the artist one day.  And so, in early 2013, I did.

By mid-2013, when it was clear that any commissioned artwork from him would not make it in time, we agreed to at least think about possible subjects for the following year.  By October 2013, he had sent me some very interesting sketches.  And soon after that, we had come to a consensus as to our 2014 Christmas artwork.

In catechism back in primary school, we were taught that gifts are given on Christmas day to emulate the fabled Three Kings – or the Three Wise Men – actually Magi (literally, “Wise Men”) of indeterminate number, who happened to be bringing along three gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh, respectively symbolizing the three aspects of the gift-recipient Christ-Child: His Kingship (gold for kings), His Deity-ship (frankincense for worship in the temple), and His humanity (myrrh for embalming the dead).

While we don’t give each other gold, frankincense, and myrrh for Christmas (although you may still send me you gifts of gold – always welcome, no matter how late!), we still do expend plenty of time, energy, and money on finding the right present for each of the people on our list.  And Christmas mornings are particularly awaited, especially by children, expecting gifts from their godparents, parents, Santa Claus, or each other.

With this agreed theme in mind, our methodical artist gathered some of the neighbourhood children, staged them out-of-season, and photographed them thus:

This then became the basis of the actual oil-on-canvas artwork, seen here in progress in March 2014, just missing a few more important details, such as what should hang in the wide-open window:

By April 1^st, the artist could happily pose with the finished artwork.

And a few days later, it was enroute to us,

ready for professional photographing and eventual preparation for printing as Christmas cards.

There was a bit of a challenge at the printers’ as to how to adjust the artwork’s original colors, as initial print runs would come out too pale, too dark, or otherwise unappealing.  In the end, slightly more magenta seemed to work.  And so here is how the final printed card came out, more or less:

Walter Vestil

“EXCHANGING GIFTS”

Oil on canvas

24” x 32”

2014

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And now, more about our heretofore unnamed artist:

Born in 1988, Walter Vestil is a native of Carcar City, Cebu.  He began his artistic apprenticeship at the age of twelve with master artists Stanley Cui Señires and Facundo Galicano Tallo.  From 2003, he participated in several group exhibits in various venues in Cebu, and was a regular finalist of the annual Martino Abellana Painting Competition beginning that same year, winning the Grand Prize in 2008. 

Walter’s appealing photorealistic style has gained him numerous commissions, including several portraits, from regular art patrons, mainly in Cebu.  “Exchanging Gifts” is only his second commission from outside Cebu.   Email: vanrijn_386@yahoo.com

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And so, on this day the Feast of the Epiphany, (i.e., the Feast of the gifts-bearing Magi, on which day gifts were actually exchanged in times past, only to be supplanted later on by Christmas Day itself due to overly-eager gift-exchangers), my family and I would like to greet you and yours a

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Maligayang Paskó at Manigong Bagong Taón!

And all our prayers and best wishes for an excellent 2015 and beyond.


Originally published on 4 January 2015.  All text and photos (except where attributed otherwise) copyright ©2015 Leo D Cloma. The moral right of Leo D Cloma to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted.

CXXXI. Give Art on Christmas Day 2013

On this, the eleventh consecutive year of our family’s annual Christmas artwork commissioning, we didn’t have to look far for a suitable artist. 

Actually, that is only partly true, as we had at the outset made inquiries of a fair number of young artists in Manila, Bulacan, and even beyond as early as the start of the year, but they were all otherwise engaged in other projects, commissions, and upcoming one-man (or -woman) shows.  By September, or way beyond our usual internal mid-year deadline, we still had no Christmas artwork forthcoming.

And then, I realized that the answer was right under our noses, as it were.  For the eventual artist was someone whom I had known personally for many years, as his father was our chief electrician for our processional carrozas in Malolos each Holy Week, and he himself had been helping his father out in this yearly undertaking since he was a schoolboy.   The following biographical note provides a fuller backgrounder:

Born in 1991, Mark Christian P. Magno is a native of Paombong, Bulacan.  Christian is a self-taught artist who has been winning school and inter-school art competitions since childhood. 

Apart from the visual arts, his other passion is the culinary arts – he is a trained cook and worked as one after graduation from high school.  Consistent with this, Christian is currently a BS in Hotel and Restaurant Management freshman at the La Consolacion University Philippines in Malolos, Bulacan.  While balancing his artistic and culinary interests with his academic workload, he manages to be an all-around athlete and is also on the university’s varsity basketball team.  On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ychan.eunra

What the biographical note does not get into is that originally, his father had thought, or suggested, that the son might pursue a Fine Arts degree in college, as he knew that he was at least skilled in art production and could certainly develop such talents further with proper advanced studies.  The father had told me about this earlier in the year, which I fortunately recalled after all the other erstwhile artist candidates had proven unavailable or unsuitable.

A quick conversation with Christian one Saturday to broach the subject proved most fruitful, with him quite enthused about the opportunity.  As a start, I asked him to sketch his proposed study for the prospective Christmas artwork, and here is what he showed me a week later:

Obviously, Christian had a million Christmas-related ideas, and tried to accommodate all of them into this one sketch!  After a brief “master class” courtesy of our 2010 Christmas card artist, Chester Ocampo, Christian was inspired to reconsider and more tightly focus his response to our request for a simple representation of a quintessential Filipino Christmas.  The result was this depiction of a small family saying grace before sharing the traditional Christmas midnight feast. 

  

The artist’s pride in his new creation, even only in pencil sketch form, was evident.

Actually completing the artwork took several more weeks, as Christian himself admitted that he had never used acrylic, much less oil, and had never painted on canvas – his prolific output since early youth was exclusively with poster paint and other school art materials, and usually only on illustration board or some other paper surface. 

But persist he did, and the resulting finished artwork, in all its glorious color, was completed by November 10^th, and sent off to the printer the following day.  As in years past, this digital image does not do full justice to the exuberance of the actual artwork, but it will do.

Christian Magno

NOCHE BUENA

Acrylic on canvas, 18” x 24”

2013

Therefore from Christian the artist and from my family and me, here’s to a

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Maligayang Paskó at Manigong Bagong Taón!

And all our prayers and best wishes for an excellent 2014 and beyond.

Originally published on 31 December 2013. All text and photos except where attributed otherwise) copyright ©2013 by Leo D Cloma. The moral right of Leo D Cloma to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted.