My Father's Images
It was 6:00 pm, a Saturday of June 23, 2007. I feel a certain kind of warmth envelope me. Everything is in place, the paintings were all displayed and the exhibit curated. The caterer were all set up and ready for all the guests. My two darling daughters were bubbly as can be and my wife, MJ who is heavy with our third daughter, was all lit up as her face shines an aura of joy and geniality. It was the opening night of my first one-man show. And my theme is a tribute to my late, earthly father, and to my heavenly Father, our Lord.
I can vividly remember when I was very young, I did not go to school yet but my sister is already in grade school, and my father drew her a pig for her homework. I was really dumbfounded to see how my father easily scribbled a few lines and almost instantly came up with a drawing of a pig. It was an obra to me. And then he left the pencil and a piece of paper lying on the table. I stared at it. My young mind told me this stuff could do wonders. I held the pencil in my hand and I started scribbling. After several imitations of my father’s pig, I was drawing my own ideas. Things that I can imagine and things that I fancied. Things that our family would do like going to church and going on some trips. I drew stories that my grandfather told me. I knew it then that ‘am going to be an artist. My inspirations and perseverance made me long to take up Fine Arts in college. And so I did.
All along, my father encouraged me to become an artist. He loved what I am drawing, designing and painting. Sometimes, he even stayed late with me as I finish on a plate for school. He supported me in this field even though we weren’t well off. Considering that Fine Arts during my time won’t land me in a lucrative job like other courses will, still he supported me to pursue it. He was a soft spoken and patient man, steadfast in his faith and stands firm on his principles and in what he believed in. He is focused on what he is doing and is a very good husband to my mother and a loving father to my sister and me. He also showed me that there’s a loving God above all else. He died a lay minister in our community. These are the qualities that I envisioned to paint in honor of him for my first one-man show.
I call it “My Father’s Images”. It is basically a Father and Son concept in two parts. The first part have all images in rural settings, things that I can remember my father and me were doing in my childhood days specially in our province. Or things that may represent a bonding of a father and a son, scenes that will symbolize my bonding with him and all the values he taught me. I painted a very muscular father bent down almost like vowing and with eyes closed. It symbolizes his being strong and firm in his beliefs and his person and yet humble in ways. A prayerful eye that looks and is focused on God our Almighty Father. There is also a youthful son that bends and with eyes much like his father. He mirrors his father in his person. The second part shows all symbolism of the Father Almighty and His love for us His children. Things like a pair of sandals and a towel and an earthen basin, which would symbolize God as a servant of all in the washing of the apostles feet. A broken bread and a cup of wine with grapes and raw wheat in the background. All of the paintings in the second part have a palm leaf on the background to symbolize worship to God.
A prayer was uttered. Welcome remarks and introductions were said. The ribbon was cut, a violinist played a soft music and everyone was ushered into the gallery. It was a show alright. A dream realized. A tribute manifested through a God-given talent. And I can now recognize that warm feeling, it is an embrace, a hug of approval from my father who is now in heaven and from my Heavenly father.
I can vividly remember when I was very young, I did not go to school yet but my sister is already in grade school, and my father drew her a pig for her homework. I was really dumbfounded to see how my father easily scribbled a few lines and almost instantly came up with a drawing of a pig. It was an obra to me. And then he left the pencil and a piece of paper lying on the table. I stared at it. My young mind told me this stuff could do wonders. I held the pencil in my hand and I started scribbling. After several imitations of my father’s pig, I was drawing my own ideas. Things that I can imagine and things that I fancied. Things that our family would do like going to church and going on some trips. I drew stories that my grandfather told me. I knew it then that ‘am going to be an artist. My inspirations and perseverance made me long to take up Fine Arts in college. And so I did.
All along, my father encouraged me to become an artist. He loved what I am drawing, designing and painting. Sometimes, he even stayed late with me as I finish on a plate for school. He supported me in this field even though we weren’t well off. Considering that Fine Arts during my time won’t land me in a lucrative job like other courses will, still he supported me to pursue it. He was a soft spoken and patient man, steadfast in his faith and stands firm on his principles and in what he believed in. He is focused on what he is doing and is a very good husband to my mother and a loving father to my sister and me. He also showed me that there’s a loving God above all else. He died a lay minister in our community. These are the qualities that I envisioned to paint in honor of him for my first one-man show.
I call it “My Father’s Images”. It is basically a Father and Son concept in two parts. The first part have all images in rural settings, things that I can remember my father and me were doing in my childhood days specially in our province. Or things that may represent a bonding of a father and a son, scenes that will symbolize my bonding with him and all the values he taught me. I painted a very muscular father bent down almost like vowing and with eyes closed. It symbolizes his being strong and firm in his beliefs and his person and yet humble in ways. A prayerful eye that looks and is focused on God our Almighty Father. There is also a youthful son that bends and with eyes much like his father. He mirrors his father in his person. The second part shows all symbolism of the Father Almighty and His love for us His children. Things like a pair of sandals and a towel and an earthen basin, which would symbolize God as a servant of all in the washing of the apostles feet. A broken bread and a cup of wine with grapes and raw wheat in the background. All of the paintings in the second part have a palm leaf on the background to symbolize worship to God.
A prayer was uttered. Welcome remarks and introductions were said. The ribbon was cut, a violinist played a soft music and everyone was ushered into the gallery. It was a show alright. A dream realized. A tribute manifested through a God-given talent. And I can now recognize that warm feeling, it is an embrace, a hug of approval from my father who is now in heaven and from my Heavenly father.
