THE arts have never stopped tickling our natural fondness and appreciation, and this has been proven at the height of the MassKara Festival when famed Filipino artist Fernando Kabigting came back to Bacolod City to stage his major exhibition.

He displayed 32 of his latest paintings at the art exhibit dubbed "Kabigting at Prime," held at the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club in Barangay Bata, Bacolod City.

He was with his wife Menchu when he came to Bacolod City to lead the opening of his art show.

The Rotary Club of Bacolod-Marapara led by Club President Lani Ferrer with the Rotaract Club of Marapara and Rotary International District 3850 Governor John Michael J. Ng showed their full support for the art exhibit of the renowned artist who traveled to Bacolod City for this event.

The art show schedules include October 10 to 16 at the Negros Occidental Golf & Country Club and October 17 to 22 at the lobby of Acacia Hotel at Reclamation Area in Bacolod City.

Four of his paintings have already been bought by local art lovers and part of the proceeds will be used to help fund the Marapara's community outreach projects.

The artist said he was thrilled to be back in Bacolod to show his work and was pleased to be supporting vital Rotary projects, which will help so many of the less fortunate in our community.

He was also grateful that this new opportunity came for him to showcase some of his art pieces for a cause.

Kabiting was a self-taught artist and is famous for his paintings on reclaimed and antique wood, which feature daily life and scenery in the Philippines.

Kabigting held numerous one-man art exhibits in the United States and major sellout exhibitions held at New York Philippine Center and the United Nations.

Now at 83, he is still up and driven to paint every day in his home studio in Iloilo City after enduring a severe stroke in 1999, which urged him to begin painting using his left hand.

Kabigting was a recipient of the Iloilo City Achievement Award in 2015.