ONCE again, art is booming in the city of Baguio.
I remember the formative years of the Baguio Arts Guild back in the mid-80s. There were creative performances, artistic interactions and collaborations among poets, musicians, dramatic artists, painters and even local artisans and craftsmen.
There were contests among the Ifugao woodcarvers as part of the promotions of the tourism industry. The likes of notable personalities: Benedicto Cabrera, Butch Perez, Laida Lim, Baboo Mondonedo, Roberto Villanueva, Su Llamado, Rolly Fernandez, Babeth Lolarga and Pepito Bosch decided to live in Baguio and blended with locals such as Eric de Guia or Kidlat Tahimik, Narda Capuyan, Geofrey Carantes, Darnay Demetillo, Boy Yniguez, Mike Parsons, Tommy Hafalla and Wig Tysmans, among others.
There were interactions among local folk singers and visiting musicians such as the Caranteses of Bag-iw, Bubut Olarte, Liza Noble, Conrad Marzan, Brian Aliping and Tommy Castro with the Pinikpikan Band, vocalist Grace Nono Boy Garovillo and Shant Verdun.
Local pubs and mini concert halls had country songs with the Foggy Mountain Band with a mix of jazz and rock and roll by the Northwind Band and the Blank. The open spaces of Burnham Park, the lobby and corridors of the Baguio Convention Center and the ruins of Session Road practically became a big canvass with Café Amapola serving as the watering hole where the Baguio Arts Guild was partly formed.
After the Y2K rollover and new media emerged as the trend among the millennials, the art scene also evolved with digital technology. Photo-canvass was introduced along with tarpaulin printing and we saw the invasion over graphics and sculpture like objects can now be done using 3D printers.
Being the tool of the so-called millennial, the computer has also invaded the drafting table of architects and graphic artists but despite all these innovation, I firmly believe that the heart and soul of an artist cannot be rendered by any electronic device.
A student who is doing a thesis communicated to me asked why I do art. Since my work schedule is tight, I asked her to send me her questionnaire via the messenger and here it goes with my brief reply.
Why do you do art? What inspires you do to so? (my reply) Art has become part of me. I am not myself without it. What does it really take to be considered an "Artist"? (my reply) Creativity or self adhesion to that which creates any form of art. What role does an artist have in society? (my reply) Artists mirror through their crafts and art forms their personal reflections which represents the sentiments of some sectors of society. What is/are the effect/s or influence/s of art to your life? (my reply) Keeps me going, sane and at peace with myself and other artists from all generations.
What is the goal or advocacy of your work to the existing stratum in our society? (my reply) To be creatively attached to my roots and cultural heritage by depicting customary practices using paints and canvasses or even songs and dances.
How does it show through the portrayal of your works? (my reply) Through my conservative style of depicting my chosen subjects. How do you think, people would judge your artwork? (my reply) For them to look at my works with an open mind. What medium do you use? Why? (my reply) I use oil, acrylic, clay, cement, metals, found objects and even epoxy for the main reason that art should have no limitation as to mediums used.
How effective is an artist's medium when it comes to defying certain issues? What issues? (my reply) If it is a climatic issue, we turn to stones, if there's a humidity problem, we refrain from using water based paints or, we frame our works with glass.
Explain the unspoken words behind an artwork. (my reply) We let people interpret for themselves and it is not for us to explain.
How long is the process of art making? (my reply) Better without time limitation but it really depends on the type of work. Murals takes longer time.
Until what stage of the process could it be possibly labeled as art? (my reply) We generally do not mind if critics label our works as non-art.
As an artist, do you think artistry is learnt? How and why? (my reply) Artistry can be acquired. It is how the person is influenced that matters. An apprentice can someday be a master if he strives to do his best to follow the teachings of his master. The student also asked me to give a short narrative about my background, styles and influences so I replied saying that I finished my BFA from a Catholic university and my earlier works was influenced by Christianity. One example is my depiction of blood compact between Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and Rajah Humabon with a friar at the side.
What are the major disadvantages of being an artist? (my reply) Many visual artists are not good family providers and role model to their children. They often have grooming problems and they do not care about protocols and etiquettes. Lastly, the student asked…. What are the advantages of being an artist? Without thinking, my two word answer is Artistic license.