From Vicky's perspective

MANILA, Philippines -  Vicky Zubiri will mount her second solo exhibit titled Point of Perspective: Inspired Moments in Chinese and Western Watercolor on Oct. 16, 6 p.m. at the Mezzanine of The Peninsula Manila. Part of the proceeds of the exhibit will go to the Rayomar Outreach Foundation.

Vicky had her first solo exhibit titled Memories in 2009. The sold-out show supported the charities of her alma mater Assumption, which does community works in Malibay, Pasay City.

Her main medium is watercolor. Her first exhibit, inspired by her many travels around the world, featured idyllic scenes including Parisian cafés, the wilderness of Africa and beautiful Philippine beaches.

Painting for Vicky is also therapeutic. She survived two brain surgeries and coped with constant pain due to some damaged nerves. her talent for painting has helped her transform negative energies into exquisite works of art. 

Vicky says, “When I was a child, my mother, an avid art collector, used to bring me to Amorsolo while her portrait was being painted. Later on, I also accompanied her to the homes and studios of Manansala, Alcuaz, Ocampo among others. I started sketching in my younger years.”

In the ‘70s, Vicky adds, she formed a group of ladies and studied under a lady named Virgie Diano. “We started with sketching, then we used charcoal, pastel and eventually oil. We had our first group exhibit in the late ‘70s at the Hyatt. My personal theme was birds in oil, flying against the rain or flying alone over the mountains. Painting is my way of expressing my feelings.”

In the late ‘80s, she first discovered Chinese watercolor while studying art with a master named Hau Chiok. She has been studying since 2008 at the Ateneo Confucius Institute for Chinese Art with Alex Chan Lim and Caesar Cheng. She and her classmates even went with Lim in 2009 to the Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou to showcase the first Filipino exhibit there and to learn with the local masters. Simultaneously, she has also been studying western watercolor with Jonny Ventosa.

Vicky’s beneficiary this year, Rayomar Outreach Foundation, supports several youth and children’s organizations such as Reach Youth Foundation, House of Light Children’s Foundation and Gawad Kalinga’s Smokey Mountain Education Project.