Mithing Sugboanon

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Artists Incorporated has the prodding of the management of Primary Properties Corporation to continually inspire the group in showcasing works of their ultra-gifted members.

CAI members, led by their president Sonia de la Torre Yrastorza and vice president Celso Duazo Pepito converged for the opening of “Mithing Sugbuanon” on January 8 at i1, i2, and i3 buildings of the Asiatown IT Park in Barangay Lahug. The event is a collaborative exhibit of Cebu’s painters, sculptors and photographers.

These artists are Darby Alcoseba, Betsy Alterado, Paulino Carvajal, John Dinglasa, Guido Lubanga, Fe Madrid Pepito, Karren Madrid Pepito, Lurline Rodriguez, Jose Sarahan, Antonio Vidal, Garry Watin, and Mila Yuson whose works are displayed at the lobby of i2. 

Alcoseba is from a family of artists and has learned to be proficient at both watercolor and oil painting at an early age. He is continually striving to improve himself. Painting mostly landscapes in the naturalistic style, he has started to experiment with abstraction - both the objective and non-objective kind, and found them all highly exhilarating. Alterado, on the other hand, is trained in UP Cebu and has taken her God-given gift not only to paint, design custom jewelry and home accessories but through painting depicting the goodness of the Lord.

Dinglasa is from Samboan. His talent was first discovered in a CAI-initiated on-the-spot painting competition in the said town. He has since moved to the city to pursue his art and has since joined CAI as a member, participating in almost all of its group shows. Lubanga, meanwhile, is a furniture exporter and designer whose designs are sought after by foreign companies. He still finds more of his art fulfillment from his pen and ink drawings of infinitely painstaking detail. He also works in oil and watercolor, this was further learned.

Celso Pepito is one of Cebu’s most prolific artists. He has innumerable group and one-man shows to his name, having exhibited not only in most major Philippine cities but also in Germany, Luxembourg, Los Angeles, New York, Malaysia and Singapore. One of the prime movers of CAI, he is always striving to bring CAI into new and better directions. His wife, Fe Madrid Pepito, works in pastel, watercolor and oil, doing a wide variety of subjects but is still happiest doing flowers. As for their son (with a girl-sounding name), Karren, with both parents being artists, it is no wonder he has art in his soul. A nursing graduate, he spends most of his days designing cakes for Cakes R Us, while still finding time for his pen and ink sketches.

Rodriguez is first a teacher, then businesswoman. She finally found the time to pursue a lifelong dream: to paint back in early 2000 and has since joined CAI and its group exhibits. Sarahan is a relative newcomer but has shown his potential and is one of those younger people whose skills CAI is encouraging to continue honing and developing. Vidal is trained in UP in the tradition of Martino Abellana. He has developed a style distinctively his own, injecting his religious subjects with old world charm. Among his favorite subjects are the Madonna and the Sto. Niño.

As for Watin, he is a graduate of USC Fine Arts program and paints in the representational manner, using both oil and watercolor. He is a winner in the student category of the Gaas/Manunggal painting competition; while Yrastorza is another fine arts graduate of UP Cebu. She paints in the impressionist manner, in both watercolor and oil. Believing in the power of the visual medium, she has chosen to paint what is positive, drawing inspiration from nature.

Yuson is a certified public accountant but has pursued her passion for art, taking advance painting lessons under Jose “Kimsoy” Yap, Jr. and has joined a number of group shows, notably NCCA-sponsored “Babayeng Buhat”.

At i3 lobby, which is designated for sculptures and abstract art, are the artworks of Methuzael “Mimit” Carredo, Fr. Jason Dy, S.J.; Ritchie Quijano, and Karl Roque, Jr. While at i1  are the art photographs of Dr. Cris Dy, M.D.; Victor Gocela, Dr. Jorgen Lim, M.D.; Joven Lim, Joseph Ong, Mark Puerto, Fr. Nick Sagnoy, Modesto “Dong” Secuya, and Paulo Tallo.

Carredo is also from Samboan. Though he paints in oil, he joins in “Mithi…” with two of his sculptures in wood entitled Wheel I and Wheel II.

Fr. Dy is assistant parish priest of the Sacred Heart Parish. Through the said exhibit, he fuses the result of his pastoral work with the passion for art in his soul to share with us a few of his always thought-provoking pieces.

Quijano is another multitalented member who is a writer, a painter, and a sculptor – always, an artist; Roque is associate professor of the UP Cebu Fine Arts program having graduated from the same institution. While his early works reflected a strong surrealist influence, his art has evolved, shifting to a lighter, more vibrant, playful, yet still insightful – almost spiritual manner of painting.

Meanwhile, Cesar Castillo and Gil Francis Maningo who are both into painting and photography have works both at i1 and i3. An engineer by profession, Castillo has chosen to devote himself fully to his art these past few years, mastering the use of a wide variety of media – oil, watercolor and pastels. While drawing his inspiration from nature, he has nevertheless started experimenting with abstract art.

When God was distributing talents, Maningo was one of those who never went absent. He is not only a gifted performer - an actor and a singer - he has used the intuitive ability necessary there not only in his business but also in his paintings and photography. He received training in UP Cebu. One will find in his photos the wisdom of the ages as these achieve the “antique” feel with their creases and chipped-off effects. You will also see him with his equally sensitive paintings featuring the Sto. Niño.

As for art photography, there are the works of two medical doctors – Dr. Dy and Dr. Lim. Dy is described to be a “doctor by profession but an artist at heart” while Lim is a psychiatrist. He is also an art collector and, himself an artist through his photography.

Joven Lim is an electrical engineer of San Miguel Corp. He also paints but has chosen to share his photography. As for Ong, he is not content to capture just what the eye can see, he loves to experiment and push the boundaries. Having apparently the knack for finding subjects who feel likewise, this results in highly interesting and provoking work like his “Love Bulb” – the relationship of contortionists.

Puerto, on the other hand, is a registered nurse, musician and photography hobbyist. He is a great grandson of composer Siux Cabase. Tallo, meanwhile, is a chemical engineer, who also paints. Like his colleague from SMC, he is exhibiting this time his photographs.

Dong Secuya also paints and is a multi-awarded web designer. He has designed CAI’s online gallery which was the first of its kind in the Philippines back in 1994 as well as the highly visible Philboxing website of Philippine pride Manny Pacquiao, but joins for the exhibit as a photographer. On the other hand, no information was given on the profile of Carvajal, Gocela and Fr. Sagnoy but they sent in works as a gesture of participation.

According to Celso, they have the management of i1, i2 and i3 buildings to thank for as what has been conceived in around three years finally saw light. “Previous exhibit in here gave us the feedback that we were at the wrong place. Kay lagi mga batan-on man kasagaran nagtrabaho sa mga companies in here. But we’ve always believed that it is the mission of every artist to educate the public about art and to develop appreciation for such.”

Moreover, the “Mithi…” exhibit serves to “encourage those oriented in commercial photography to venture into art photography,” Celso added.

By the way, there are two foreign artists who joined the exhibit. Remy Rault from France, who has been in the Philippines for quite a time now, expresses himself in his big canvases or smaller ones put together to create interesting series. His “Cosmos (Series)” takes one to a journey beyond this realm. Meanwhile, Sr. Raissa (no surname for that’s the way it is in her chosen vocation) is a fine arts graduate from Korea and is a member of the Congregation of St. John.

Guests of honor were Mrs. Marlinda Angbetic Tan, The FREEMAN Lifestyle executive editor; lawyer Edmund Villanueva, and Msgr. Carlito Pono. Mrs. Annabelle Lim, Mr. Amado Go, Ms. Mara Maningo, and Ms. Lilo Aliño assisted in the ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the other two venues. Exhibit is for free and runs until February 8.