Van Gogh is Bipolar at Maginhawa

Van Gogh is bipolar, and he's a Dutch artist who lived a tragic life, one of the most prominent artists who we briefly discussed in my Art History class back in college. Van Gogh is Bipolar, is a restaurant, one we've been discussing about trying out since after college...and one I finally got to try last week. Ever since my brother experienced eating there a few years back he'd been repeatedly telling me about his desire to go back for a second. After agreeing that we eat dinner with a few friends at a new Korean restaurant at BGC, he tells me that he just made a reservation at Van Gogh is Bipolar because he forgot what we agreed on a few hours prior. But come to think of it, I think I was meant to go there because just two days before we went to the restaurant a friend posted a link on Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal as Van Gogh in a docudrama called Painted With Words. The beauty of the script lies in the fact that they used a lot of the words coming from the written letters of Vincent sent to his brother Theo. A word of caution though, the movie is a downer...because it deals with frustration, depression, loneliness, and art at the same time.

Here's the link to the 1hr.20mins. movie by the way: Painted With Words

Good Friday in Baliuag, Bulacan

A couple of years back─about twenty years exact─I never imagined that I will be spending the Holy Week somewhere far from Valladolid, as three generations of family tradition dictate our responsibility to manage the Santo Entierro for procession every Good Friday. For as long as I could remember, it was a solemn time to be with family, wherein select members would devoutly pitch in, from the preparations of the bathing the wooden statue of the dead Christ, to stitching his garments, to selecting the perfume that will be used to wipe his feet after every kiss of the faithful, to buying the flowers that will be used for the carroza, down to preparing the meals for those who will be taking part the tradition throughout the night. It's our family's "panata" or sacred promise started by my great grandfather, to take part in the town's Good Friday procession every year and be the one responsible in taking care of the Santo Entierro. We are only one family of so many throughout the country doing this year after year.

And every Black Saturday back then, I would see in the news featuring the procession of Baliuag, and it was only last year when I saw the scale of their carrozas that made me realize how minute ours was in comparison. The town seemed both quiet and festive at the same time with the arrays of grandiose carrozas lining in the streets, each beautifully prepared for the processional rites. For the first time, I was there to witness what was being showed on TV for the longest time. Some larger-than-life-sized statues don intricately designed clothing, and it overwhelmed me to know that there were over a hundred carrozas that will be paraded for the procession, with numbers going up every year. 

I took a lot of photos, but I'll only be showing a quarter of the lot because some were blurred...and I wouldn't want to upload a hundred photos for this post. 

Snapshots of Georgetown, Penang

Penang was one of those cities that I've heard once or twice in my life and then I go "meh," but that was until I came, saw, and ate my way through it. In a span of two days and two nights I managed to be giddy at every little turn. As an artist and a lover of food, it felt like being in the right place in a really short time that it took a lot of energy to overcome long hours of endless walks.

At first glace, the ramshackled buildings reminded me of the old quarters in Hanoi, only that it was two floors instead of three. The outskirts resembled a bit of the outskirts of Hong Kong with roadside treelines and high-rise buildings jutting out in between. The food and people reminded me of Singapore with the ethnicity ratio of Chinese-Indian-Malay present in the city, it came to a funny surprise that there was the "la" expression as well. The street-art is one that I dream of BGC to become, murals big and small at almost every corner. Urgh! Take me back to Penang!

BCG Art Mart (Sept 27-28)

Bottled koi pendants with ball chain.

Last September 27 and 28, Teacup Ideas participated in its first-ever bazaar--and it was exhausting!!! The preparation of our products took at least a month, and I had to juggle between my 8-hour office work, daily chores, social life and finalizing things for the event--hence my temporary hiatus from blogging. 

Was it a success? The event was, but our products didn't sell like hotcakes (except for our hand-painted greeting card that is,) still, it was a good experience despite the setbacks.

Anyway, I took a photo of what's left of the products that I made for the past few weeks:

Yummy food magnets for your notes. About 25 cents to 1-peso coin in size.

Lifestyle themed dangling earrings.

Bottled food pendants with brass chain.

Bottled elixir and poison pendants.

Fruit Loops dangling earrings and pendant set.

Various animal dangling earrings.

Bottled poison pendant with brass chain.

Set of Luna Lovegood's raddish earrings with necklace for Potterheads.

The group is yet to figure out how we'll be selling these online, plus I am still unsure how much I will be selling them online, so I can't put a price tag here just yet. But what I can guarantee is that we'll be hitting the bazaars soon enough.

Our product line includes other artsy stuff, including tote bags, tees, pouches, accessories and other whatnot products that we can manage to whip up within a given time-frame. I'll be updating the blog for announcements on our next ventures, but until then I invite you to like us on Facebook to get the latest updates about our teacup group.

https://www.facebook.com/Teacupideas

Teacup Ideas at ART MART 2014

Teacup Ideas

Me and a couple of friends will soon be presenting our products. It's for the quirky and the artsy folks who loves to express themselves through minute details. 

Please Like us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram for updates:

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Teacupideas

INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/TeacupIdeas/


G-MAIL: teacupideas@gmail.com

Thanksies! <3

The White Temple of Chiang Rai (Wat Rong Khun)

When I realized that our Indochina trip was a go and that we were going to Chiang Mai, I couldn't help but insist going to this place. This wasn't initially in my bucket list, but it immediately became a must-see after I saw photos of the temple online. It's in the province of Chiang Rai, a three-hour ride from Chiang Mai, Thailand. Despite it's modern-artistic-white-washed exterior it's actually a place of worship and is a Buddhist temple. It was such a disappointment that we weren't allowed inside the temple when we got there, but I love the place nonetheless. There's more to Wat Rong Khun than just the usual pictures being shown online. There are museums and wishing areas for visitors. Chalermchai Kositpipat started the project in 1997, but the earthquake last May has resulted into bad damages that they needed repairs in certain areas. Creating a detailed marvel like this cannot be rushed, I just really wish I could have entered the temple when we were there.

Da Vinci The Genius at The Mind Museum

The Mona Lisa at The Mind Museum

Every art student should at least pay homage to Leonardo Da Vinci for being the genius artist and inspiration that he is. When I first saw ads about an exhibit of his works at The Mind Museum I dismissed it for obvious reasons, the top being disappointed with paying a Php250.00 entrance fee to see fake reproductions. I had to think long and hard about keeping my money or missing the opportunity to see up-close the reproduced works of thee Leonardo. When I read an article claiming that the reproduced pieces were done by expert Italian artists, applying the same materials he used back then and mimicking the brushstrokes Leonardo did, I immediately scheduled for a visit. The experience was a bit disappointing…

7th International Silent Film

I got to watch my first silent film last night thanks my friend Mar and Elma who were kind enough to give me the extra ticket. Going there, I had no idea what I was gonna see nor hear. I was expecting to sit in a dark room, watch a black and white film, and hear my blood sloshing at sheer silence of the experience. Seeing what I saw and hearing what I heard made me so wrong...my expectations were quite naive, but the festival made my week. It was that awesome!

Dissecting Chronos

After realizing the intricate process of dismantling a wrist watch in my effort to create a Steampunk inspired accessory, I now realize how painstakingly accurate each gear fits to make that tiny machine work. It's amazing! And inspiring! And irritating!

Pinto Art Museum

If there's ever a place that I can say worth the effort, it's this one. The travel time and the effort to get here by commute is quite a ride that by the time you get here you can't help but smile at the sight of what you're about to venture through. You enter through a small iron gate and will immediately be greeted by a lush wide-open garden and a small white chapel. To describe the whole vibe of the place, I can say it's Mediterranean in style as it is evident in its architecture and landscape. With the entire complex built on a sloping terrain expect a lot of climbing up and down various staircases. Among those that I've noticed is that there's an awful lot of CRs and bells scattered throughout the place, each unique from the other.

And note the challenge I had to go though deciding on just posting 25 photos out of the lot I got from the picturesque place. So after screening the shots and carefully selecting my choices, this is all I could offer--a partial glimpse, simple snippets of the place. I wanted to see the lights illuminate the walls, but when my friend paid manong driver he told her, "Maganda yung lugar na yan, wag lang kayo magpagabi." And for whatever reason he meant about not staying there after dark, we made it a point not to prove him right. We were pretty much in a hurry to leave before sunset, though reluctant, we had to because we were starving...the ate turon and gulaman was not there to save the day. We had to share a single plate at Siraulo Cafe (a subsidiary of Bizu, so you have the price range of an Php80.00 mineral water to Php550+ entree.) One thing I will ask you to bring besides your camera is water, lots of it. Water will always taste good after an endless walk and stair climbing.

The artists featured are mostly contemporary as seen obvious by the pieces shown. Every now and then the museum would hold in exhibits, but there are also permanent pieces on display. Since the place was so huge and we were more giddy about taking pictures and exploring the place, I unfortuneately missed out on some of the artworks...most of them actually. Thus, I have every reason to go back there--I am especially looking forward to the completion of their new wing. But seeing those pieces, without even absorbing every sense of it, you will feel your Pinoy spirit being moved by the art as most subjects tackle our cultural and social issues. This theme is evidently shown in the titles of the pieces like Ondoy, Phuway-huway (resting), Alibangbang (butterfly), and Lolong and Loleng. To see different visual renditions be it in a form of a painting, a sculpture, or installation, it gives you a relieving sense of freedom living in a country with people who can express deep sentiments without external restraints. And to see such works displayed in the beautiful space sends out a lot of message in being a Filipino. I'm glad we have such people who do their part in adding color to our  society. 

The chapel, the first thing you spot the moment you enter.

It's pretty small, but there's a lot of antiques to see.

It's the first time I saw Jesus on a contemporary bed.

This is one of the first galleries you can explore.

Some art pieces are available for purchase, while some aren't.

There are a lot of nooks where you can hang out and read a book.

Even the tree is a work of art.

Obviously created by a new breed of artists.

There's so much greenery that it reminded me of the being in the province.

Using Kat as a scale, you can see how huge the paintings are.

This is a view of Siraulo Cafe. Pretty and pricey.

You can just see the beautiful Antipolo landscape beyond the wall.

We hung out in this hall-gallery for a while since it rained real hard.

These are some of the pieces that amused me.

This courtyard is one of the recent addition in the museum.

White-washed and bell towers, kinda like Santorini. 

There's just so much open spaces available that it almost seems private.

I liked this life-size green man staring into a puddle of dirty water.

"We are the kids that your parents warned you about." - love it!

This is my favorite room of all because of the colors: brown, aqua, and white.

This was one of my favorites because of the level of detail and realism.

Seeing this at the end of the wall seriously made my day. I had to smile.

Known as "The Room" it reeks of dried bamboo and the only thing you
 will hear is the water dropping off from the rock and into the pool of water.
Using the light, the ripples reflect on the wall and the effect is pretty.

No wonder the order took a while, they made it into a work of art with syrups and nuts.

1 Sierra Madre St., Grand Heights, 1870 Antipolo, Philippines

Art Work: Leviathan

My rendition of the mythical sea beast Leviathan.

Every now and then I get bum out with work and being lost in the world of advertising and repetitive layouts...it's hard living in a society when you have to make a living out of what you're good at but the lack of passion to pursue. I mean, advertising is a fun field to be in, but the pressure and boxed-type clients can be frustrating at times. I miss the energy of doing art just for the heck of it...and the last time I checked, it's been months since I held a brush or drew something I liked for that matter.

After watching a documentary on History channel called Beasts of the Bible, I was struck with a sudden urge to draw something fantasy-related. Drawing fantasy is invigorating for me as it lets your imagination flow, not restricted by proper anatomy or even logic. I loved fantasy as long as I could remember, and I still do today as is evident in my choice of movies, videogames, and books. I've bought a lot of references in my interest to learn about mythology including a dictionary of angels and faeries, collection of fantasy creatures, and an encyclopedia about steampunk. I'm still looking into finding a good book about dragons since the one I have is 32-pages thin, as well as a complete bestiary reference.

My Steampunk Bible...I haven't gotten around to reading it yet.

So, the one I did is the sea-monster named Leviathan, mentioned in the Bible in the Book of Job. It is translated in Hebrew as "whale", but apparently a lot went on over the years and the simple term was lost in translation as now it is considered as a sea dragon or serpent with all sorts of descriptions. I was first introduced to the Leviathan as a GF (Guardian Force) in Final Fantasy VIII, and the creature stuck to my head since then.

I had four animal-inspirations for this piece; the entire anatomy is basically structured after an Asian dragon except the head which is more western in influence. The body color I got the inspiration from a tiger shark with its perfect camouflage in blue waters as the stripe effect blends in with rippled water when you look from above, and the bright color on its lower half to mimic the sunlight when you look from below. The head was in reference with a cobra's hood to make it look menacing because it's cool. The fourth and last animal I referenced it from is the stingray's tail as a barb stings out of its dorsal fin. When it extends it false-arm...it's actually a pectoral fin, it flattens out to look like a stingray. The tip of its barb excretes poison and can easily rip off flesh. It mostly feeds of big game fishes such as tunas, sailfishes, groupers, and even dolphins. The leviathan's size can reach over 60-feet at maturity, and can weigh for over a ton, and ages up to two-hundred years. That's all I know...or at least that's all I'm using to describe the creature that I drew. 

It was the first time, in a long time, that I used watercolor so it kinda looks sucky, besides, I did it all in one afternoon as I watched the show so my only consolation is that I got it done in one sitting and it isn't terrible. Its anatomy, I'm aware, does not qualify it as a viable sea creature with the lack of gills and the limitation I did with the anatomy of its head, but hey, I needed a mental break so doing this came with the lack of desire to make it a believable creature. After all, what is fantasy but an exaggerated impression of reality?

Tiger shark from fineartamerica.com

Watercolor is Love

I love watercolor 

Seriously, I do

And you should too

The effect is beautiful and fluid

The colors are pastel and easy on the eyes

Versatile and unlike any other medium

Fresh and never loses its trend

I love watercolor

I LOVE IT!!!

No, this isn't poetry

Legend of Mana is one of my favorite games. The world was rendered entirely out of watercolor. I wish I could find another game with the same visual effect like this. Exploring the world was a treat for the imagination.

Disclaimer: Most were taken from Pinterest,
and some have watermarks on them. 
Unfortunately I own none of the above photos.