The Art of Lavina Marie: exhibit

With a few of mine and Valerie Chua's paintings, at ManilART

I can't even begin to describe ManilART. I mentioned in my previous post that I was participating in this prestigious event, and now that the event is over, I still can't believe I was part of it at all.

ManilART is the biggest art event of the year, a chance for leading art galleries in the Philippines to come together and showcase their prized collections, and for budding artists, such as myself, to make their presence in the scene known. This year, the event boasted the participation of 40 major galleries, and over 400 artists - the biggest gathering yet.

I was blessed with the opportunity to be featured as one of the exhibiting artists by Romana Go, ManilART's current art director. She was already an acquaintance of mine; we'd meet time and time again, and I always enjoyed her quirky company. A few months ago, we met again at a party at my boyfriend's house, and during one of the conversations, she suddenly broached the subject about ManilART, how she had been assigned the role of art director. I was thrilled for her, of course, and secretly hoping that I'd be able to visit the exhibit this year. To my absolute horror, she casually mentioned that I be a part of it. Before I could recover, she began talking specifics: what medium I used, how many paintings I had, how many more could I do... by the time the party was over, my mind was abuzz. My participation in the exhibit wasn't set in stone, but I had resolved to produce as many paintings as I could nonetheless.

The wheels were in motion, however; as I strove to make one painting a week, Romana would contact me for updates and news concerning ManilART. My being part of it still wasn't sure - at least to me it wasn't, but I was forced to think otherwise when out of the blue, she asked me to participate in a press interview for the event at SM Megamall. And everything escalated from there: my artwork was splashed on a promotional ManilART tumbler and sold and given away, I was featured on the ManilART Facebook page (you can see the post here), and my paintings were set up on display at the Moon Dragon Art Gallery booth in the SMX Convention Center.

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In my freshman year of college, I applied with all the unbridled excitement of a little girl graced with the presence of a beautiful new Barbie for membership in the only art organization of the time, charmingly named Mostra d'Arte (the meaning of which still eludes me until now, when the organization sadly no longer exists). Orientation was immediate and quick: under the guidance of a lanky, quirky upperclassman, I was briefed on the org's basic workings and objectives; and already an event was waiting for my involvement. (But I suppose I should admit that I never really did assist in the event, or in any of the subsequent events. Lack of time and transport hindered my participation, and it wasn't long before the organization dissipated. I'm itching to bring it back.)

Of course, before I was to actually place my hands on anything, I had to be acquainted with the org's members - founders and freshies alike. On the day that my guide introduced my timid self to a few of them, I was unnerved and amazed to find myself before a person I'd previously only known by name, a name that took a long moment to register in my ears when my guide voiced it in the direction of a pretty, long-haired girl.

I'd seen Valerie Chua's name embellish the electronic walls of DeviantArt, a site I'd joined only months before entering college. On the site, however, her real name was secondary to her username 'green-tea', which I came to associate with her lovely paintings, and which all flashed before me as I gaped at her in person.

Song of a Bird [which became a 'Daily Deviation']

I believe that meeting was the only time I ever spoke to her - until, that is, a year or so later, when I happened to discover that she and my boyfriend were relatively in the same circle of friends. It was then that I had the pleasure of viewing her first exhibit as a member of The Ambassadors of the Philippine Brand, for which she'd painted colorful portraits of Lea Salonga and Tony Meloto, the founder of Gawad Kalinga ('to give care').

But it was only very recently we engaged in actual conversation; and although I admit I still don't know her that well (other than that we share a similar fondness for girly things), I must say she's such an interesting person: quiet, as her blog title suggests, but absolutely amiable. Not to mention, her works, her watercolor illustrations in particular, have evolved magnificently over the years, elevating her to heights that I can only hope some day to reach. Now she's a freelance illustrator feverishly sought after by several local agencies, and has been featured on an international basis. These are some of my favorite artworks of hers, taken from her Facebook page:

On November 23, 2011, she is to host her first solo exhibit - so exciting! Details can be found on the promotional poster above (just click to enlarge); do take the time to drop by her wonderful backyard of art.

P.S. Val, thanks for letting me blog about you, it's such a pleasure knowing you. :)

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