A UNIQUE kind of "revolution" participated by young visual artists from the local governments of the Second District of Negros Occidental took centerstage in Cadiz City recently.
Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. and the local government unit (LGU) led the arts competitions, which aims to provide exposure and hone the skills of promising talents.
Late last week, Earl Von Salcedo, a 22-year-old freelance visual artist, earned the nod of distinguished judges that included renowned artist Charlie Co, Tristam Miravalles, Cezar Arro and Hill Benitez, for his surreal acrylic on canvas entry entitled "The Dreamy Rice Fields."
He received P40,000 in cash, a trophy and a certificate.
Salcedo was among the 160 artists from the cities of Cadiz, Sagay and Manapla town, aged 18 and above, who joined the Second District CaSaMa Painting Competition 2022 anchored on the theme "Harvest."
The event served as among the highlights of the Cadiz City's charter day celebration that culminates, yesterday, July 4 on top of the inauguration of new officials.
Salcedo, who is a visual graphic design and animation graduate from Cedar College, hopes to become a professional animator someday.
He is a veteran in local arts contests during the pre-pandemic period, and joined online events during the onset of the Covid crisis, where he won several top prizes.
Salcedo said his 20x24 inches work depicts a scene in a dream that contains different characters.
The woman represents the ethnic tribe whose members preoccupy themselves with harvesting fruits and vegetables, and they come down from the uplands to sell their produce in the city.
The farmers, with empty stomachs, are striving to harvest rice grains to provide for their families and their children's education.
The children, who, instead of playing, have become fishermen at a young age in order to support their studies and needs.
"We all have different timelines, different battles, and different paths to choose (and) we may have experienced the darkest times in our lives, but we should view them with a silver lining," he said.
Salcedo added that we all chase our dreams and hope for a good harvest and a brighter tomorrow.
In second place was Reynald Esperancilla, who brought home a trophy and P30,000 awarded by Escalante, the panel of judges and other city officials.
Organizing the competition was Hibalag Group of Artists founder J.R. Ledesma.
Rounding out the top five were Mae Ann Barcenilla, third; Santiago Onatin, fourth, and Allen Descalsota, fifth, who each received trophies and P25,000, P20,000 and P15,000, respectively.
The sixth to 10th finalists, who were given P10,000 each were Mark Kineth Casindac, John Quincy Hervias, Joven Dionaldo, Rusty Quiachon and July Ladra.
Escalante also picked 20 more entries called the mayor's choice, who each received P5,000 in cash
For renowned Bacolod-based artist Charlie Co, it was difficult to judge fellow artists, especially that there had been many outstanding submissions.
He also commended the initiative of the Cadiz LGU and the support given by Escalante to promising talents, adding that he hopes that more local chief executives in Negros Occidental will do the same.
Constant exposure, he continued, is important to further hone local artists' skills such as bringing them to art museums, galleries, interact with their peers, attend workshops and lectures as well as regularly join competitions.
Co said he shared similar advice to the Cadiz City mayor, who promised to implement do-able suggestions even as he disclosed that Second District Rep. Alfredo Marañon, III, had initially told him to bring local artists to exposure trips. (PR)