Inkpressions: A pen & ink art exhibit
IT IS the first of its kind, shared the artists of Inkpressions, a group show exhibiting all pen and ink artworks.
Photographer-artist Arnel Villegas, bouncing back from his hiatus, exhibited his black and white technical pen-renditions of forests and landscapes in black white. “I want to echo intricacies of the gifts of nature that transcend color,” he said. These days he’s creating larger works, not the 3 inches by 3 inches pieces he used to do.
Victor Bong Espinosa presented and unconventional approach to his pen and ink drawings. He rendered his drawings of human figure on handmade, textured papers made from cogon, bamboo or rice. An Architecture graduate as well, he said the technical pen was his medium to create art during in college. His collection is inspired from the actual events and personal experiences. It took him back to the early stages of his artistic career when life was so simple yet complicated.
My first encounter with JC Gonzales’ art was at an exhibit at People’s Park. More than the burst of colors, it was his style and his choice of subjects that made his works catchy. In cartoon-like rendition, Gonzales’ single-eyed figures — a politician, a holy man, mother or soldier, may remind you of the Cyclops. The artist’s intention is to depict “people who show only one side of their personality and hide everything else behind their faces.”
Alex Alagon is a self-taught artist. His job as an artist-illustrator got him through college. Perhaps he was revisiting this time in his life. His expertise in graphic art is quite evident in his rendition of his subjects—people and objects one may encounter on a daily basis yet pay little attention to. Here, the audience will take a second look, a deeper one, at the subject and perhaps come to a realization that beauty surround us, we just have to take time to pause and look.
The artists call themselves “the four crazy guys” and it was obvious that they were (in a good way) when they welcomed their guests at the opening of the event.
Arnel, JC and Bong pointed at Alex Alagon as the “culprit”, the brainchild of the exhibition, who popped the all-pen-and-ink show idea to his friends, and in less than a month it was realized.
Present at the opening were fellow artists Josie Tionko and Dinky Munda, and art enthusiasts Cristine Nograles and Pilar Braga.
Joise Tionko was all praises to the group. “I am amazed at how they can create art with such a simple medium. I wish you could teach me.”
Dinky Munda of Tabula Rasa applauded Alex for his efforts to spread art awareness via the shows he mounts, the gallery he set up and teaching art to children with special needs, and Nograles, who grew up with art, said that her family has always supported art, along with sports.
If this is what crazy guys can come up with then I’m all for it! Congratulations to the artists.
Inkpressions art exhibition will run until February 16 at the 3rd floor of Abreeza Ayala Mall.
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