Monday, October 27, 2008 The Soil paintings of Talaandig artists
WAWAY Linsahay Saway is better known for his music, his compositions that make use of ethnic musical instruments and bring popular rhythms to the Talaandig tribe's chants.
But Waway, who comes from a family who is behind the Talaandig's school of living traditions, is also behind an art movement in his village in Bukidnon that is now popularizing soil painting.
"We gather soil of different colors and use white glue as paint binder," Waway said in an informal conversation several months ago, at the time when they were brimming with pride for one of their artist's foray into the prestigious Philip Morris Philippine Art Awards where Talaandig artist Marcelino "Balugto" P. Necosia Jr. was among the awardees.
Soil painting has been practiced by their people although this has just recently been revived in their bid to bring back their living traditions.
The choice of white glue as binder is a practical alternative to the imported commercial binders, which are expensive.
With soil as the medium, their artworks are in tones of browns, reds, and grays of the soil, a soothing tone rendered into pieces of their tribe's life, beliefs, practices, and their close association with the land.
