“Water is Life”

CEBU, Philippines — If creative mediums were to be classified as bodies of water, equating watercolors to an estuary would make sense.

After all, the two are convergence points of different environments – estuaries being the transition point for freshwater and saltwater areas; and watercolors for basic illustrations and full-pigment painting styles. This analogy is the theme of Cebu Artists Inc.’s (CAI) ongoing creative presentation at the third level of the Ayala Center Cebu.

Titled “Water is Life” and ongoing until April 26, the show presents the works of CAI member-artists who are affiliated with the International Watercolor Society Philippines-Cebu Chapter.

Composed of landscapes, seascapes, flowerscapes and life-in-the-countryside tableaus, the show highlights watercolor as a “basic” creative medium – emphasizing its dynamic capacity to reflect complex details through simple dabs, brush strokes and lines.

Top-billed by summer-related subjects ranging – from pristine blue beaches to flowers in full bloom – the exhibit may be aptly described as a storefront display of Cebu’s breezy summers.

The show, however, is not all about eye candy, as it thematically indicates visual art’s capacity to relate “what is” to “what is ideal” – visual art’s capacity to be an estuary of two different values, so to speak.

“Water is Life” allows viewers to experience their ‘dream’ summer by way of paintings that project the inimitable beauty of the season – a reminder that the space where “what is” shares a drink with “what is ideal” is real.