CEBU, Philippines – Vidal "Ondo" Alcoseba Jr. - one of the exhibiting artists of "Alcoseba: A 3-Man Exhibit of Darby, Tony and Vidal Jr." - passed away late last month, after the exhibit had opened.
Born just before the turn of the year in 1959, Ondo had participated in numerous group exhibits and had done various solo shows throughout his career - the first held at the Arthaus in Cebu City in 1978.
In previous interviews, Ondo shared that he started learning about art by simply tagging along with his father and his father's friends (including Jose "Kimsoy" Yap, Jr., Jun Mendoza, and Gamaliel Ignacio Subang) in their many painting sessions. Having become an artist himself, he frequently visited public schools and barangays, teaching the fundamentals of painting and arts appreciation on the grassroots level. Some of his wards became painters and cartoonists themselves.
Ondo's works are defined by distinct brushstrokes and keen color disambiguation - driven by a sense of dynamism in the arresting the heart and center of various subjects, topics and themes.