I met Orlina way back in 1975 at an art exhibit at the Hyatt Hotel on Roxas Blvd. While I sashayed from one painting to the next, I was not aware that Orlina was lurking in the background like a paparazzi, trying to take my photo with his zoom lens at whatever angle he could. I would have made life easier for him by simply posing, if he had only asked me to, but he was too painfully shy to approach and ask me. A few months after the exhibit, I received a call from him. He introduced himself and told me that he painted me on glass from photos he had taken of me during the exhibit. Would I like to see the painting, he meekly asked.
Out of curiosity, I wasted no time looking at the painting. It was a striking composition in black and white, painted on a mirror. The approach was totally different, very dramatic and full of character. If it were a novel, it would have been Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. I immediately bought it from him at a measly price and since then we have been friends.
Ramon Orlina’s name has become synonymous with his glass sculptures that many people, even those who are only mildly interested in art, can readily identify as his work. His gleaming creations in emerald green with curves and angles that reveal innumerable facets when struck by light have indeed become his trademark, distinguishing him among Filipino artists for their utter uniqueness.
Thirty years after he first made the decision to become a glass artist, Orlina looks back with contentment at the path he has taken to where he is today. "There are many ifs that could have changed things. If I had gone abroad to study, I probably would have become a glass blower or a glass caster instead of a glass sculptor. If I had trained under a glass master, I would have been influenced by his style," he notes. In the mid-’70s, he was friends with the executives of Republic Glass who were enamored with his paintings on glass. They offered him a scholarship abroad but Orlina instead asked to work in their factory with the technical people so he could study more about glass. Thus for two years, Orlina immersed himself in the world of glass.
In the thickened pieces of glass, made green because of the high silica content, Orlina saw immense potential. He thought that by employing choice techniques, the glass cullets (actually nothing more than industrial residue) could metamorphose into works of art. True enough, through experimentation, he was able to hone the cutting, grinding and polishing to create his inimitable pieces. Since then, he has enjoyed a special arrangement with Republic Glass, which supplies him with his three-dimensional medium.
His natural curiosity about glass propelled him to persist in the untested field of glass carving. With no teacher to guide him, he had to learn on his own and experiment on what would work. Thus he became a virtual pioneer in the "cold" technique of glass sculpting (as opposed to the hot technique of glass blowing).
He says, "With no one to learn from, I had the freedom to be creative. With no influence and standards to follow, I had to devise my own style demanding originality, improvisation and innovation. I followed my instincts and feelings and pursued my own direction."
His training as an architect helped him immensely as he could also examine the technical aspects of working with glass. In shaping his artworks, he knew just what contours or slants would give off facets when hit by light. He played with surfaces and textures to provide his work with different dimensions.
One of his early commissions was a massive sculpture for the old Silahis Hotel using all three tons of green glass combined with brass. Nothing like it had ever been seen before. Art critic Leo Benesa dubbed him an "experimentalist" and insisted that he be included in the Trends in Sculpture exhibition because Orlina was notably a trendsetter.
When Napoleon Abueva saw his work, measuring 8x12x2 feet, Abueva complimented him on the newness and freshness of his approach. "I was so happy that I managed to impress National Artist Abueva," he says.
Since then, he has not looked back. The years have seen Orlina’s work evolve in many ways. His first works, prismatic and largely angular, soon gave way to more organic forms taking on the shapes and curves of the human body. He has also produced sculptural pieces with holes and a series focusing on lighter forms as embodied in birds and wings. His "Pintado" series used sandblasted etchings on glass surface. He has also branched out into other kinds of glass, notably black glass and lead crystal from Swarovski, and by combining glass with assorted materials such as stainless steel and bronze.
Art critic Alice Guillermo said: "In his glass art, Ramon Orlina revels in his chosen role of artist as eternal player of games, purveyor of magic and illusion and creator of visions of utopian beauty."
Orlina’s works have received acclaim not just here, but also abroad. After he was featured in a solo exhibition in Seattle in 1997, American critic Matthew Kangas wrote: "Ramon Orlina definitely brought something new to the West Coast with this exhibition. With most US glass artists preferring blowing or casting, Orlina’s approach offers valid alternatives if not original forms."
To celebrate his 30th year working in glass, Orlina had an exhibit at the Ayala Museum last month. Entitled "Quintessence," it featured new sculptures in glass in a mixture of colors such as green, amber, red and pure black. It also included work combining glass with materials such as stainless steel, and bronze. It also presented studies and a model for one of his most recent commissions, "TetraGlobal." It is an 8.6-meter structure cast in bronze with glass elements that will be unveiled at the University of Sto. Tomas, Orlina’s alma mater, when it celebrates its quadricentennial year in 2011.
Another highlight of "Quintessence" is a bronze piece cast from one of Orlina’s glass sculptures, which is an indication of his constant quest to push artistic boundaries.
No doubt, Orlina is looking forward to exploring the possibilities with the medium that he describes as "endlessly intriguing."
"For me the learning never stops. As an artist, my role is to create, to develop new forms and present new ideas using fresh techniques and materials. I am happy that I am able to express myself and in the process, give enjoyment to others," Orlina enthuses.