Pinay donates art pieces for Unicef projects

Contemporary artist Addie Cukingnan is donating 60 of her latest art works to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) to help support the agency’s projects for the Filipino child.

The art pieces will be put up for sale next month to raise funds for Unicef in a benefit exhibit called "Flowers for Children."

Proceeds from the exhibit — to be held on Dec. 3-8 at the activity center of The Podium at the Ortigas Center — will all go to Unicef.

Diners Club is helping mount the exhibit as one of Unicef’s partners.

Unicef currently accepts donations made through Diners Card, which is being locally distributed by SB Cards Corp., a subsidiary of Security Bank Corp.

Cukingnan was one of five new artists who held an exhibit at the Philippine Center in New York in August this year.

She has already successfully mounted two solo shows since her first group exhibit in 1998.

Cukingnan is head of Arte Pintura, a group composed mainly of self-taught artists.

For the "Flowers for Children" exhibit, Cukingnan, whose involvement in the project began when she received a mailer from Unicef, is putting up for sale 60 of her paintings, mostly oil on wooden and wrought-iron plates.

Cukingnan’s paintings — ranging from oil on canvas to those painted on wrought iron plates — capture the ever-present flowers in their natural form but with qualities that rise from the mere botanical and reveal her feeling for color and composition.

Her subjects are placed in well-tendered gardens, plucked to adorn table settings or in the company of everyday fruits, jars and vases.

On certain occasions, Cukingnan paints scenes from her trips abroad, recalling the details of snow-capped mountains, majestic pine trees dotting a stream, and flowers that grow in wild profusion.

Cukingnan is also into business and owns the Kitaro chain of restaurants.