Fifty-eight years ago, a boy named Adeste was born in Basilan. His parents were originally from Carmen, Cebu but had relocated there because his father got a job with an American logging company.
At the age of five, Adeste found joy in doodling whenever he had the chance. As time passed, he progressed to drawing for students since they lived and had a store near a school. The Basilan of his youth was a paradise to him, with fertile land and easy access to beautiful white sand beaches with the bounty of the sea abundant for all to share.
When it was time to come to Cebu for college, his first course was BS Biology. He passed the days listening and drawing endlessly, that his notebooks were filled with sketches and not notes from the lesson. His father, after seeking divine intervention, accepted that his son was really meant for the world of Fine Arts. Adeste entered the halls of the University of the Philippines at such an opportune time, the revered Martino Abellana (also known as the Dean of Cebuano Painters) was in his teaching prime. This was a teacher who excelled both in lectures and in the actual onsite painting lessons, oftentimes taking over the work of some of his students to give it a touch-up and would eventually finish the piece.
Also upon the advice of Abellana, Adeste got himself a job after graduating from college. He joined an advertising firm and joined painting exhibitions every now and then. After the firm closed, he decided to devote himself to freelance painting and it was at this time that he met Celso Pepito whose warmth and support he deems unforgettable. For many years, he devoted his time to teaching Painting & Figure Drawing in university but he noticed that at the end of each day, he would feel drained and would therefore produce minimal output art-wise. So he left the academy, since at this point in his life, Adeste was already sure that creating art was the only thing he wanted to do, and what he did best.
“In everything you do, prioritize quality. Only when you are consistent in your standards do you achieve success,” Adeste said when asked about his advice for artists-on-the-rise in today’s modern world.
Fans of Adeste’s work are curious about The Builder—a subject he is known for. His pieces featuring The Builder are usually muted, in shades of black, white or brown, very contemporary, and a distortion of the human figure—elongated and top-heavy. He shares that The Builder is a symbol of endless possibilities, our God being the Master of all builders, and us humans, small builders. It represents both the physical and the spiritual, so it is not confining, unlike realism.
Adeste believes his best work is yet to be made. He expressed that he believes his art journey will never be complete until he can fully and honestly express what’s in his mind and soul. He continues to explain this mindframe sharing a story about Beethoven who would walk around writing notes while attuned to the sounds of nature and how the society that lived in that era had the utmost respect for artists “in communion with the Divine.”
The food for our souls is art, he says, in its instrumental and intrinsic value and should be savored every chance you can. Listening to the “Moonlight Sonata,” for example, transports him to a place of solace. As he continues to elaborate on this, it becomes evident that he possesses a truly gifted, old soul.
When asked about what his last masterpiece would be like, the artist took his time before replying: “It will be about a man returning to his Maker,” adding how he has yet to discover how to put this concept on paper. He continues with another quote from Socrates, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
“When you find meaning in what you are doing, that is happiness.” S