LIVING life is like painting in watercolor. No do-overs are allowed. No cover-ups can be done. Patience is very much required.
It is dubbed one of the hardest mediums to use, because watercolor tests the artist in every masterpiece made—the colors scatter all over the canvas and refined techniques are required to master the art.
The level of difficulty is what adds value to the art of watercolor for the discipline is not meant for everyone. As the trend in using watercolor has gone up internationally, Cebu keeps up with the demand as the region is home to some of the best watercolor artists.
On Sept. 27, “Sihag Cebu” was opened to the public in SM Seaside City Cebu. It is an exhibit that features watercolor masterpieces by six artists namely Dino Pajao, Ramon Vios, Maxcel Migallos, Kimsoy Yap, Fred Galan and Loloy Castro. The six artists are also the founding members of Cebu Watercolour Society, an organization launched after the opening of the said exhibit.
“We are accepting members after this exhibit,” said Vios. “There will be a screening process because we want to have quality members. Our vision is that we want to have a group of watercolor purists,” he said.
The organization began as an idea among architects; colleagues sharing their passion for the art of watercolor, a medium they were required to use for protective rendering during their training in college.
“We have an association among architects. We found out that we really have the passion and the love for watercolor. We came up with the structure of the organization, the bylaws, then had it registered with SEC (Security and Exchanges Commission),” said Vios.
With the existence of an organization for watercolor artists, the organization is hoping to connect with the international watercolor community.
“The next move is we will be bringing international artists to have an exhibit in Cebu. We will invite them next year,” said Vios.
The exhibit displays several watercolor techniques that the artists will be sharing to the public with live painting demonstrations every Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. until Oct. 14.
The six artists painted different aspects of Cebu—its community, its beaches, its downtown area and the people.
Vios displayed 13 artworks especially created for the exhibit. Some of the artworks showed the pressing issues of the country which includes the housing problem of the Philippines, to which he personally relates to as an architect.
“It’s a national phenomenon. We need an improvement in our housing industries,” added Vios.
“Sihag Cebu” is located at the Cube wing of SM Seaside City Cebu.