Johanna

Female nude I
Charcoal on toned board
20×30 inches
October 1, 2013

Female nude II
Charcoal on board
20×30 inches.
October 3, 2013

Last #drawing session for the semester.

#nude #drawing #onthespot #last2weeks

Playing with photo transfer on glass. Nice frosted texture! Good alternative to decoupage. #acrylic #emulsion

Process is to apply emulsion on chosen newsprints,  let dry and repeat until a filmy layer forms (ranges from 5-10 layers).  Wet the paper side and rub out the fibers before attaching onto your medium of choice, in this case a beer bottle.

Lessons learned: get the mix right, be joyful while working, if digging deep make it count. Pwedeng life lessons na rin!

Plaster bas relief ruins. Major fail. Huhu. Back to square one. Flu go away!

Always a pick-me-upper. We blend raw with banana and calamansi.

#bawang

A physical gathering place for innovative, positive, and active dialogue by way of art, green tech, and wealth creation.  Think art salons of the olden times, but Pinoy version (with abundant food! and laughter! and doers! Bawal all-talk), and with lots of playful spirit.  An open and friendly place for ideas to germinate and get implemented.

This is step one.

This is the closest I have to an artist’s statement.

It was my college application essay, written in early 2013.  Because I’m a lola and initially missed the essay requirement on the checklist,  I barely had an hour to put my big “WHY” into words.  No fluff.  Work-in-progress. Thankful for the knife of time pressure .

Why I’m Choosing to Study Painting

I am happiest when I am in front of a canvas, using color to bring images to life.

As someone who has been painting, drawing, and doodling since childhood, I have always dreamt of just creating everyday. It is my prayer and my presencing in the world – how I tell stories and communicate what needs and wants to be let out.

A painting for me is an intimate encounter between strangers – the subject, the painter, the audience. There is an exchange that may be fleeting or lasting, but given the proper intent and space, it is an exchange of truths, and can be transforming or healing.

Over the years, I’ve worked in businesses and pursued painting on the side, but especially now that I am in my 30s, I am finding deeper joy in coming back to the canvas. More and more, I wish to paint and create to let others play and quiet their heads, for clarity and understanding, and the courage to pay it forward. It is a renewing activity for myself and also hopefully for those who interact with my works.

Now with equal intent and ferocity, I commit to developing my skills as a painter, within a living, breathing community of teacher-student artists. I hope to learn not only the technical aspect of the arts, but also the dynamics and discipline of what it means and takes to be a professional artist today, in the Philippines and also in the wider global context.

Painting for me is a journeying back, sometimes slowly, at times at full speed, towards my core curiosities: the arts, the Philippines, God, spirit, and people, and inviting others to journey with me.

Johanna Carla B. Pilar
Montalut.com

February 6, 2013