MULTI-ARTIST and professor Dominador "Doms" Pagliawan is remarkably candid about his second solo exhibit at the KBOX studio (4th floor of the Landbank building) along Real Street in Tacloban City. The exhibit runs for a month starting Friday, May 4.
“I want to make my artistic talent available to viewers... At the same time, this painting hobby allows me to earn a living,” Pagliawan said.
The 51-year-old artist admitted that it took him many years before deciding to become “productive” in putting his ideas and inspirations into the canvas.
Knowing that his time is running short, Pagliawan took his brush to capture his memories of people, things, places, and events for the people to see.
“I have had this talent since childhood,” said Pagliawan, adding that one of his three children took interest in his painting craft.
In his second art show, Pagliawan picked the theme “Balangaw: Mga Kolor ngan Imahe (Rainbow: Colors and Images)” to bring the public’s attention “to anything I like, such as the beauty of nature.”
“I want to make them happy with my works,” said Pagliawan, as he invited art aficionados and collectors to see his 16 artworks comprising the exhibit.
“I was aiming for more, but time did not warrant,” he told SunStar in an interview.
In his exhibit, Pagliawan said that he wants people to grasp his works easily.
“I don’t want them to exert so much effort trying to understand what the painting means. Not that I spoon-feed viewers, but I just want them to enjoy seeing things in my works without developing headaches as a result,” he said.
“I also want my works to be somewhat affordable so that people can grab hold of their choices without spending so much,” said Pagliawan, a native of Catbalogan City, Samar.
Known for his award-winning literary works such as fiction, poems (Siday), musical compositions, sculptures, line drawings, sketches, and cartoons, Pagliawan also acknowledged how the local art scene is “peopled with many great and budding artists.”
“But I noticed that most of them are into abstract, the rest are obviously imitative of foreign models and themes. I am into realism, but with vital messages, and my scenes are local, seldom foreign,” said Pagliawan, who taught languages and literature at Leyte Normal University in Tacloban City for 20 years.
This is the reason why in his second art show, he brought plenty of vivid local color into his canvas that people can easily identify with.
While most of his influences are dead already, like Fernando Amorsolo and Juan Luna, Pagliawan admitted that he also gets some tips from local artists like Dante Enage, Neil Zabala, and other Tacloban-based visual artists.
His favorite medium is acrylic on canvas because it dries fast and doesn’t fade over time.
“I use oil paint sometimes, but it takes days and weeks to dry up, not good when you are hurrying up works,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pagliawan said his experiences with Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013 has nothing to do with his exhibit.
“Although sometimes there are Yolanda-related ideas that surface in my works. For instance, Yolanda aggravated my fear of deep, rough waters. So I just paint the latter to somehow show that I’m not scared,” he said.
During his free time, Pagliawan also accepts writing, drawing, and painting tutorials.
For more inquiries about his exhibit, he can be reached at 0998-356-7779 or e-mail: domsworks@gmail.com. (SunStar Philippines)