Of life’s many passions

IWhatever it is I do I make sure I put all my passion into it," said Voltaire Campos, 31. "I have kept that attitude with me since I started doing artwork at the age of eight."

Voltaire, who is married to Darlene and has two kids, now works for a car company where he designs for cars. "The need to raise a family had me going back to the corporate world," said Voltaire, adding that he and his wife used to have a small tapsilog business but had to close it two years ago.

But despite his venture into the practical world of business, he is quick to point out that his first love and passion is art. For it is in art where Voltaire, or Bo to his friends, could truly express his deepest feelings and motivations. First love never dies and, in Voltaire’s case, it is clear that the artistic spark remained.

When Voltaire celebrated his 31st birthday recently, his dad, Jones Campos, head of Globe Telecom PR department decided to give him a special surprise. He got all the artworks that Voltaire made years ago, had them framed and put up an exhibit at Mi Piazzi Restaurant in Edsa Shangri-La Hotel. The gesture caught Voltaire by pleasant surprise, but he was happy about what his dad did.

"I really just kept all my artwork in the bodega in our home. I never had any intention of mounting an exhibit," shared Voltaire. "I wanted to keep them as a legacy for my kids."

Voltaire made his first drawing when he was in second grade and from that day on he was hooked. He would spend whatever free time he had at school hanging out at the art department where he was inspired by two art teachers in school.

"I never took any formal lessons in art. My teacher told me to follow my instincts and to follow where my strokes would lead me. This is what I have been doing," quipped Voltaire.

Looking at his works, it’s obvious that pastel is Voltaire’s favorite medium. "I love pastel because they are very flexible, I can even use my fingers to spread them on the canvas," he added.

Art books, workshops or even formal art school were never part of Voltaire’s life as an artist – that is because he believes that drawing comes from within and that a natural style must be developed rather than learned. "Everything that I learned when I started is all I have to go on. I let my art take me where it will – and so far I am happy with what I have done."

Voltaire is proud of the two art contests he participated in and won. The first one was an art contest in school where the theme was to draw "Mama Mary" and the other one was when he spent a few years in the seminary, which coincidentally had the same theme.

Although Voltaire wanted to pursue a career in Fine Arts this was not to be the case. "I wanted to take up Fine Arts in UST and placed seventh in the entrance exam. But my dad asked me if that was really what I wanted. He advised me to take up computer science because it was a more practical course. I followed his advise," he shared.

With a computer science degree tucked under his belt, a wife and two kids, too – Voltaire’s passion for drawing has not ceased. Matter of fact, in the car company where he works he is involved in the designing of cars. He has also been designing T-shirts when he has the time. "And at home there is an empty canvas which is waiting to be used," he added.

Voltaire is one artist who puts all his passion in the endeavor he is involved in at the moment. Recently, he has started playing badminton and he is passionate about the game as he is about art. "I will stop playing when I win a tournament," is what Voltaire said about his badminton playing.

But no, Voltaire is not one to look up to people to emulate. He appreciates good work when he sees them, but that is about it. "Just like in badminton, I don’t have any favorite player. I don’t want to pressure myself to have to play as good as anyone else. I just want to be as good as I can be," he added. The same attitude goes for his art. He knows good artwork when he sees them and he knows how to appreciate that. But he refuses to study other artists’ styles because he does not want his own to be cramped.

A free spirit when it comes to his art, Voltaire doesn’t have any pretensions as to his style in painting. He is not too keen on giving his work labels as an "impressionist this and a social realist that." When looking at a Voltaire Campos painting, one doesn’t intellectualize but rather, one feels and empathizes. What you see is what you get, and a cursory glance of his paintings will give you an idea how much his family means to him.

A Voltaire-and-son bonding can be clearly gleaned from one pastel drawing done in bold strokes and cheery, earthy colors. Another pastel painting ably captured his dad Jones’ various moods during the latter’s hippie days in the ’70s. A caricature-like drawing (done during Voltaire’s cartooning phase) of a taho vendor is Voltaire’s way of appreciating the taho vendor who passes by his house each day to bring taho to his son. His self-portrait where he included his guitar, Bianca, gives one a clear picture of his simple pleasures in life. And he only has much admiration for the female form as can be seen from his nude sketches.

But not everything in his pastel collections is pleasant and sunny. Like any other artists, he had his dark and disturbing days as well. For example, one work features black handprints in heavy strokes clawing at a seemingly naked torso while numerous bloody red eyes look on. "It suggests a rape scene, from a really bad dream that I had one night," explained Voltaire.

Though he started with abstractions, he admitted that his style keeps progressing. "What I have now is a combination of the abstract and cartooning," said Voltaire, adding that the last piece of artwork that he did was two years ago.

And yes, Voltaire needs lots of quiet space and to be at peace with himself before he can draw. At this point in his life, this is not possible. "There are so many things to do at home and the kids are there too," he added.

Voltaire shook his head and said he won’t be painting on that empty canvas at home just yet. "I do have some ideas of drawings that I would like to do on badminton," offered Voltaire with a smile. "For now, badminton is my main focus. But I know I will go back to my canvas because it is where everything started. Drawing is my first love and it will always be my greatest passion."