Artist Feature: Froilan Calayag

I have no words

Guest-starring Nonoy Marcelo's Ikabod

"Chase the Candy" ..One of my favorite Froilan Calayag paintings.. I don't know where it is now.

mmmmm... secretions..

The Artist's Renaissance Influence shows in this painting. I love the presence of water.

"Love Me! Heart Eater"

This is the world I see behind my eyelids.. Where odd creatures exist, and live off each other, and evil is rigid and angular.

Chaos+Color = Fun

I enjoy staring at the transparent, gel-like bear hat on the boy's head.

There's an amphibian called the Surinam Toad that deposits its eggs on the skin of its back. these slowly sink into the skin, creating large holes. In these holes, the eggs hatch and the tadpoles metamorphose inside these holes, emerging as miniature versions of their parents.

Another creature with Surinam Toad features..

Froilan's Prizewinning rendition of Jose Rizal's Terra Cotta Sculpture

Makes me want to run, too..

This is an Allusion to something i forgot. sorry.. But isn't it great? "Everything Turns Impressionism When You're Hungry"

The very first Froilan Calayag work i saw online. That moment, he became my favorite Filipino Contemporary artist. Even more so now having seen more of his work and having learned the experiences and emotions behind the layers of paint.

Bosch brews some Angel's Trumpet Tea with the Chapman Brothers

A take on the old fable

Characters come to life and become not just believable but familiar.

Very Deja-Vu for me.. I had one of those magnetic fishing games when I was smaller. I loved how the little fishes would open their mouths then you'd try to get them to latch onto the magnetic "lure". It's a very close simulation of what you feel when fishing for real fish.

Froilan Calayag is Awesome

Photos from: Artist's own Facebook Page, Gallery Bohemia, Tala Gallery, ClicktheCity, Sensico.edu.pe,Flickr, WhenInManila.com, VinylonVinyl and other very forgiving and generous sources.

Filipino Artists (in no particular order) Part 6

I've been sketching lately, mostly studies for larger scale work when I find the time (yeah right.) and I notice some changes in my style. Do our styles of expression:

• naturally change as we mature and age?
• change because of what we experience?
• change because of changes in the way we perceive things?
• change because of changing influences?

And because i said the word "change" so many times, I present you with Lyrics from David Bowie..

"
I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
So the days float through my eyes
But stil the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They’re quite aware of what they’re going through"

On with the Artists.

51. Kiko Escora- Trivia: if you search google images for "Kiko Escora" you get more pictures of the artist than his art. credit: Worldseriesattitude

52. Antipas Delotavo- A true master of capturing human emotion and sometimes the absence of it. credit: bjanepr files

53. Napoleon Abueva

54. Leslie de Chavez- Great non-cheesy socio-political commentary and they all look like Zombie Andres Bonifacios. credit: ArteFilipinas

55. Mideo Cruz- There's more to this dude than controversial Phalluses.. He's a pretty good painter and an immensely talented and creative performance artist. credit: manilaartblogger

56. Banji Bisaya- From 20 meters away or so, youd look at his works and be like, Yep, it's wood.., But move closer and you'll see the craftsmanship and masterful carpentry this guy possesses. Everything is perfectly "squalado" and the parts that are meant to move, do so precisely. Made from odds and ends the artist gathers on long journeys northward, the works have a sense of perfection about them. Galing! credit: Jillaine Lanuza's Tumblr

57. Federico Sievert- The artist hails from USTe, like my wife, who is a work of art :) credit: KulayDiwa

58. Abdulmari Imao- One of our National Artists, Dr. Imao depicts his happy, smiling sarimanok in vivid hues on canvas, as well as in bronze. credit: postcolonial.web

59. Jun Caingat credit: eccagallery

60. Nick Pongan- I loved staring at his Tuna Workers paintings at the Megamall. Not acquiring one from that series is one of my biggest regrets, and I hardly regret. Bwiset. credit: Satoshikyo's Picasa

Moar to come..