Canada's beauty on canvas

The respect that I have for painters come from the fact that a painter has to deal with the element of the non-constancy of the subject, the time and effort that goes to capturing one scene. It’s like having one subject, but even before you finish it, a new element is added into it. 

It’s different compared to the one-click of a photographer who instantly captures the scene in front of him. But, don’t get me wrong, a photograph – a well-composed photograph – for me, is a work of art that plays with the viewer’s emotions.

Painting from a photograph may sound so elementary, as if rendering a copy of a finished work. Well, that was what I thought at first, but when I was invited to privately view the paintings of Fred Galan, Gie Galan and Meowix Flores at the house of the Honorary Consul of Canada, Mr. Robert Lee and wife Anna, my view took a 180 degree turn.

It would take a real artist to paint a scene from a photograph and make it into an original creation, invoking an emotion so different from what you would get when looking at the original pictures from where the paintings were based.

Fred, Gie and Meowix were commissioned to work on painting the different beautiful landscapes of Canada with only pictures and first-hand accounts to guide them. The result was magnificent.

The paintings were displayed in an exhibit dubbed “Canadian Sceneries through the Hands of Cebuano Artists” last October 26 to 30. The proceeds of the exhibit went to the Asian Center for Couples and Families for them to be able to build a center that will help needy families and couples. This is another exemplary project of Consul Lee.

The exhibit featured 45 giant-sized landscape paintings. The whole production took more than a year of passion and dedication to complete, and all artworks were painted at the beautiful property of Consul Lee in barangay Guadalupe using photographs of the subjects as reference. Perhaps the atmosphere of the place itself invoked a feeling of being in Canada, the reason for the excellent outcome.

Ken Zeigler, a famous lawyer from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada emailed Consul Lee after seeing the paintings, amazed at what he saw. He said: “The end product is even more remarkable when you realize that the artists have never been to Canada.”

Canada’s Ambassador to the Philippines, His Excellency Robert Desjardins, said that the paintings “evoke Canada and its sceneries magnificently.”

“The spirit comes across to the paintings,” said Ambassador Desjardins in an interview with The FREEMAN. “The paintings represent Canada in all its geographic character.”

I had the opportunity to talk to the artists before the exhibit in Consul Lee’s place. Meowix admitted that the most challenging part of the project was to paint a place without even knowing how it feels to be there. “(We) have to analyze the condition of the place through the pictures and descriptions given to us,” he said.

Nonetheless, the paintings were perfect.

I was infatuated with the refreshing painting of Niagara Falls which, despite the dangerous nature of the beauty, Meowix, was able to make it into an inviting scene. An excellent bathroom piece, should you have a bathroom with a 10-meter wide wall.

Meowix’s paintings of Canada’s symbol, the maple leaf, are bursting with colors, and the Sunshine Coast landscape is extensively detailed. The smooth crevices and cracks of the huge rocks are quite meditative, I should say.

For Fred, his watercolor has created a wonder of the busy Alberta lifestyle back dropped by the beautiful snow-capped mountain of the region. And should you look closer at the car plates you would see that the painting itself is a testimony to the greatness of his God, with the verse John 3:16 cleverly placed.

The painting of Gie that caught my attention is Cape Breton Highland Park. The convergence of green and bright hues of red and orange contrasted by the cascade of the cool waters of the water fall is extremely soothing to the eyes. Bright, fun and yet quiet enough to make it an ideal piece to add life to an otherwise ceremonial atmosphere.

For the feminists out there, forgive me for saying this, but the feminine touch of Gie’s paintings made her works come out as if they were scenes from a fairytale story, dreamy and other-worldly.

The collection was superb, and should I have the monetary capacity to get one (the average price for one painting is a loud P350,000!), I wouldn’t hesitate to get one of those green stubs to make my bid. Wishful thinking, but life is made of dreams just like the scenes in this exhibit.