CXLI: Give Art on Christmas Day 2020

Given how this past year has turned out so far (yes, as I write this, there are still a few hours left to the end, and therefore some probability, albeit small, that things will look better), one would be tempted to just throw one’s hands up and put everything on the back burner, as it were.  I have on the other hand taken the exact opposite approach, which is to ignore such short-term inconveniences as mobility constraints and the like and go about several activities, even virtually, as if it were business as usual.  Let’s just say that this is my version of revenge.

And so, in the midst of the first lockdown and as if it were the most normal thing to do, I made inquiries as to who might be a suitable artist for our family's Christmas card artwork this year. From an old school friend and my network of university connections came a nomination, and initial inquiries by SMS and email proved promising.

The young artist, upon our request, emailed some samples from a diverse portfolio of his works from the previous few years, including:

     Rendition of Georgia O’Keefe’s Purple Leaves

                       Untitled, Commissioned 2018

                    Rendition of Masferre’s Sumadel, Tinglayan

                        Untitled, Commissioned 2017

                    Untitled, 2017

I thought that these artworks were assurance that this artist could not only render human figures realistically but also bathe them in lively colors, both essential in creating a Christmas-themed artwork for us.  By the end of April, we had struck a deal to proceed.

In about another month, which is to say by the end of May, the artist emailed me two studies for the Christmas artwork.

The first one, which he titled “Warmth Under the Capiz Lanterns”, depicts a boy receiving a puppy as a Christmas present.  “I equate the boy’s joy to being under the warm yellow lights of a thousand Capiz lanterns,” he said about this study.

The second study depicted the reunion of a boy and his Overseas Filipino Worker father against a traditional Filipino home’s wooden balcony at sunset.  The artist called this “The Arrival,” saying, “Most Filipino children will relate to the joy of seeing their parents, unfortunately in some cases, only on Christmas day.”

I thought that both studies were excellently done, but told the artist that I felt that “The Arrival” was too melancholy not only in subject but also in appearance.  We therefore agreed that he should develop “Warmth Under the Capiz Lanterns” further instead.  In particular, I suggested that he add not only more children but also more capiz lanterns, and he took to it.

In about three weeks, in the second half of June, he had sent me a preliminary sketch.

And in the succeeding weeks, the artwork progressed rapidly to completion.

      As of July 2^nd 

      As of July 9^th 

      As of July 17^th 

By August 11^th, the artwork was finished.

    Raja Jardiniano

    WARMTH UNDER THE CAPIZ LANTERNS

    Oil on canvas

    18” x 24” / 46 cm x 61 cm

    2020

Now let’s hear more from the artist himself about his new artwork:

For this painting, which I named "Warmth Under the Capiz Lanterns," I chose oil paint for my medium.  I painted myself and my siblings and some of our pets, with capiz lanterns in the background, in our old wooden balcony. 

I had always loved Christmas as a child.  I remember loving it so much that we once had four Christmas trees because of me.  That’s four Christmas trees simultaneously!

For my younger self, everything was just so magical at Christmas: from the warm lights, to the beautifully adorned trees, and everything else in between.  Christmas is also one of those rare occasions during which my family gets to be all together. 

Also, I love my lola's cooking, especially the desserts.  I remember eating them in secret before she would serve them at the dining table, though she always knew all along that I had already done so.  She also gives the best gifts – I included one of her most memorable presents to me in the painting. 

The balcony that I painted was the one from the old wooden house that we used to live in.  It had capiz windows and we would hang capiz lanterns as Christmas approached. Of all the houses that we had lived in, it was the one where I had my best childhood memories.  It was a very big house – so large that my siblings and I could ride our twist bikes along its hallways. 

I was also only able to include two of our many pets.  Back then, we had two horses, fifteen cats, four birds, two rabbits, two sheep, a goat, some goldfishes (that always died), two ducks, and three dogs. 

Overall, I enjoyed creating this painting very much – it was a very nostalgic experience for me. 

And to round off our acquaintance of this young artist (and in case his words above were not sufficient), here is his short biographical note:

Raja Jardiniano was born in Dasmariñas City (Cavite) to a family of artists – both his parents are full-time artists and four of their five children are also into the arts.  

Raja is currently a sophomore in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program of the University of the Philippines in Diliman.  After he completes this, he plans to pursue a Music degree, to major in Composition.

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As in previous years, recipients of our family Christmas card usually also received at least one other small gift.  Our mainstay gift is the Ortigas Foundation and Library desk calendar.

For 2021, and perhaps in recognition of so many who were driven to talking to their plants while in lockdown this past year, the calendar features sample pages from the posthumously-published volumes of Philippines-based Spanish Augustinian botanist Father Manuel Blanco (1778 – 1845) that listed over 1,200 indigenous plants, drawn in color by the leading Philippine artists of the second half of the 19^th century, including Miguel Zaragoza, Felix Martinez, and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo.

Alternatively, one might have received from us a copy of “The Collected Stories of Jessica Zafra,” 

published to great acclaim in late 2019 and a repeated must-read in 2020 and beyond.

Each year, we challenge our regular craftsperson Rheeza Hernandez of Malolos to create an innovative packaging design for our Christmas book gift.  This year was perhaps her most creative attempt ever, a face mask and bandana-scarf to wrap the Jessica Zafra book furoshiki-style.

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And so, from Rheeza, Jessica, Father Blanco (and the Ortigas Foundation & Library Team), Raja, and my family and me, to you and yours –

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon!

___________________________________________________

Originally published on 31 December 2020.  All text and photos (except where attributed otherwise) copyright ©2020 Leo D Cloma.  The moral right of Leo D Cloma to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted.

CXXXV: Give Art on Christmas Day 2017

This year, the 15^th year of what is now a tradition of commissioning an original artwork for our family’s Christmas card, was perhaps smoother than usual, facilitated by a personal recommendation by the artist of our 2009 Christmas card. 

Marc Salamat recommended that we seriously consider his previous workshop apprentice, artist-colleague, and Hagonoy, Bulacan townmate, Jojo dela Cruz, for our 2017 Christmas artwork.  This naturally led to a first meeting and discussion, at which time he showed me photographs of works that he had done in the past.

Jojo’s portfolio was impressive in its versatility.  Apart from oil-on-canvas works such as this still life,

or this pensive open window,

he has also made bas-reliefs in a variety of materials and finishes.

And if this was not yet sufficiently varied, Jojo also does three-dimensional resin sculpture to commission, with both secular and religious subjects.

That first meeting was so straightforward that we quickly came to an agreement, even without the need for numerous options or studies.  We simply confirmed our common understanding of what the broad theme needed to be – a Filipino Christmas – and what the specific subject could be – “namamasko.”

By mid-September, or in just a few weeks after that single meeting, Jojo had emailed me a photograph of the artwork in progress in his home workshop.

And by the third week of October, he delivered the finished artwork to my house – only the second time that we had met face-to-face.  Here is how it appeared on the cover of our Christmas card this year.

Jojo dela Cruz

“NAMAMASKO PO”

Oil on canvas

24” x 36” (61 cm x 91 cm)

2017

Born in Binangonan, Rizal in 1980, Jojo dela Cruz was orphaned at a young age and went off to live with relatives in Hagonoy, Bulacan.  He still lives there today, now with his wife and two children.

His interest in art was nurtured as early as secondary school, when his coach Mrs. Yolanda Narciso encouraged him to represent the school in art competitions, winning several awards and plaques of recognition in the process.

In 2005, he won a scholarship from the artist-author-professor Mr. Jun Cruz Reyes, also a Hagonoy native, to enter the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts as a Sculpture major.  He left after two years to become a full-time artist.

Today, Jojo is a highly versatile artist in many media – he sculpts in wood, fiber glass, and clay, and paints on canvas, concrete, and wood.  He even undertakes landscape projects and designs waterfalls for them.  He is also a tattoo artist.

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People lucky (hahaha) enough to be on our gift list will know that over the past few years, we have extended the “give art on Christmas day” effort beyond just our family’s Christmas cards to include even the materials we wrap our gifts in.  This year, our usual Christmas gift package (unfortunately too heavy and fragile to ship via courier to more distant addressees on the list) was encased in a specially-crafted “baul” (chest) mimicking those antique bone-inlaid narra bauls common in Bulacan and elsewhere in centuries past. 

As in previous years, this year’s custom-made packaging was crafted for us by our friendly Bulacan neighborhood artist and heritage worker, Rheeza Hernandez. 

The 2017 Christmas baul held our three book selections for this year:

The Conjugal Dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, by Primitivo Mijares, revised and annotated 2016 edition.

Amazing Facts and Figures Every Filipino Must Know, by Luisitio Batongbakal Jr., Alex Castro, and Marcus Vaflor.  Summit Books, 2016.

Heneral Luna: The History Behind the Movie, by Dr. Vivencio R. Jose.  Anvil Publishing, 2015.

These should keep our recipients occupied with reading over the first few weeks of 2018 at least!

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From my family and me to you and yours,

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

MALIGAYANG PASKO AT MANIGONG BAGONG TAON!

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Originally published on 31 December 2017. All text and photos (except where attributed otherwise) copyright ©2017 Leo D Cloma. The moral right of Leo D Cloma to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted.

XCVIII. Give Art on Christmas Day 2009

I'm pleased to report that despite the present troubles of the world in general, the selection of the artwork for our family Christmas card for this year was relatively smooth and straightforward, even compared to the generally problem-free artwork selection processes of the past six years.

I had been familiar with the impressive body of work of this year's chosen artist via his Multiply website, and thought that his modern realistic style would appeal not only to those to whom we were to send our Christmas cards, but more importantly, to my bruisingly critical family members as well. It did not hurt to note while going through our virtual checklist that the artist was quite young - just twenty-two years old - and was from Bulacan as well.

Sometime in the second quarter of this year, I had written the artist, telling him of the possibility that we might commission an artwork from him for our Christmas card, and inviting him to suggest a subject via a series of studies. In due course, he had sent me this initial treatment.

I thought that it was very characterful, but perhaps a tad too melancholy for what should be a most joyous time of the year.

Further studies followed. With the addition of one more character, the scene looked not only happier but more complete.

The next decision point was whether to go portrait (tall and narrow) or landscape (short and wide). Because all our previous Christmas card artworks were formatted so, we quickly chose landscape.

It might sound inconsequential to others, but there was also the all-important matter of choosing between large capiz panels in the windows

and small ones

My family members were unanimous in preferring the smaller, more delicate-looking capiz panels.

And with that, all necessary decisions had seemingly been taken, and the artist could then get to work on producing the actual artwork.

By mid-August, he had emailed me to let me know that the painting had been completed, even attaching snapshots of it.

In due course, we took delivery of the actual artwork, and by October 1^st, had arranged for it to be photographed.

Of the dozen-odds shots taken by the professional photographer, our printer had narrowed down the choices to two, which would then serve as reference shots, especially since the intensity of the reds and browns of the original artwork could, and needed to, be tweaked in the actual Christmas card printing process.

There was then the small matter of the artist’s biographical note for the back of the card, which we finalized in short order.

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Marc Salamat: SA DUYAN NI INA AT SA MUSIKA NI AMA

(In Mother’s Cradle and To Father’s Music)

Oil on canvas, 18" x 24", 2009

Born in San Pablo, Hagonoy, Bulacan on 30 January 1987, Marc S. Salamat graduated from the Bulacan State University (BSU) in 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, major in Advertising. In 2004, Marc joined the Hagonoy Art Group, and in 2007 the Likha Art Group in BSU and the Lakan Sining ng Bulacan.

In 2008 Marc was Runner-Up in the 8th ArtPetron "Alay sa Pistang Pilipino" National Students Painting Competition, First Place in the On-the-Spot Painting Competition in BSU, Second Place in the DC-SUC III / CIRPS 11^th Regional Skills Olympics On-The-Spot Painting Competition, Finalist in the 41^st Shell National Students Art Competition, and Third Place in the 2009-2010 PLDT-DPC Telephone Directory Cover 23^rd Visual Art National Competition. In August 2009, he was given the Hyleader Achievement Lingkod Sining Award by the Hagonoy Young Leaders Program (HYLEAP) for his unique talent in the field of art.

Marc’s other artworks may be viewed on his website: http://marctist.multiply.com/

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Lest someone steal his identity, we didn’t forget the artist’s photo:

Such that the back of the card looked like this:

And the inside of the card was not too different from that of previous years.

And finally, here we have a scan of the finished cover artwork – which probably does not fairly reproduce the actual Christmas card, much less the actual oil painting.

But nonetheless, my family and I are confident that the card recipients – and you our dear reader – share the sentiments that we, and the artist, set out to convey through it:

Merry Christmas and a

Happy New Year!

Maligayang Pasko at

Manigong Bagong Taon!

From the Veron-Dulay-Cloma Family

of the Philippines

Originally published on 23 December 2009.  All text and photos copyright ©2009 by Leo D Cloma. The moral right of Leo D Cloma to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted.

Original comment: 

          puyat1981 wrote on Dec 25, '09
          this is so susyal, Leo. Very nice!