Join Me in My 2019 #100DayProject Starting April 2nd in IG

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I was born in the Philippines and spent the former part of my childhood there, but moved and lived out the rest of my youth in Corpus Christi, Texas. Art has always been a part of me as far as I could remember, becoming an avid student of it throughout high school. I intended to pursue an artistic endeavor in college, however, as we are all aware, life takes us to surprising places, and right on cue, I ended up earning undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting and now I am a practicing accountant. For years since, I had all but given up on art, but when I began drawing and painting again in 2016, I found a renewed vigor in the creative process, and my life took on completely new meaning and purpose.

Though I create works of art in traditional media (such as graphite, charcoal, colored pencils, pastels, and acrylic paints) and nontraditional media (such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel), the medium that I prefer the most is paper. My love of paper as a medium began in high school when my art teacher assigned a Henri Matisse-inspired cut-out art project and when I used wallpaper scraps to create a replica of Madonna and child. These two undertakings—cutting blocks of paper in organic and geometric forms per the Matisse project, and cutting into paper to convey the contour lines of the Madonna-and-child image—form the foundation of the style of paper art that I developed back in 2010. My method of conveying the three-dimensionality of form involves cutting blocks of paper and layering them, with the layers of paper in gradations of color that are in turn cut in such a way that follow the contours of the different values on the form.

Ever since I learned to formally draw back in high school, I have always been intrigued by the human form. This fascination has led to my exploring various aspects of the human condition and experience through my portraiture work, from ideas relating to self and identity, to topics about diversity. My current artistic pursuit is to visually celebrate—or otherwise comment on issues related to—the diversity and the individual stories of the people I meet whose walks of life all led to the multiculturally-, multinationally-, and multi-ethnically-rich city of Houston, Texas—the place I now call home.

As I try to figure out where this art journey takes me, it’s motivating to know that there are a lot of people who are encouraging me to keep going. Family, friends, and people I’ve briefly met—thank you! The sections above explain how I came to be in art and where I am right now. Where I am going tomorrow—I hope you could go along in the ride with me. 

• 2008 Congressional Art Competition - Congressional District in Southern Texas - Artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. for one year
• Various Texas State V.A.S.E. (Visual Arts Scholastic Event) accolades (including three state medals)
• Various local art competition accolades (including several blue ribbons and best-in-show)

• 34th Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) Juried Exhibition - Juror: Zoya Tommy - 2 pieces selected and on display from October 24 to December 3, 2016 at Spring Street Studios
  • Piece 1: Chromatic Dispersion. 2016. Acrylic on canvas. Triptych. Each panel 20 in. x 10 in.
  • Piece 2: The Storm. 2016. Acrylic on canvas. 36 in. x 24 in.
• 11th Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) Invitational Juried Exhibition - Juror: Lester Marks - 2 pieces selected and on display from January 9 to February 4, 2017 at The Silos at Sawyer Yards
  • Piece 1: Nest and Egg​. 2016. Digital art (PowerPoint). 11.75 in. x 36 in.
  • Piece 2: Duality​. 2016. Digital art (PowerPoint). 24 in. x 18 in.
• Hardy & Nance Studios 10 x 10 Show - 4 pieces displayed on January 21, 2017
  • Piece 1: Study of a Rose. 2017. Digital Art (Excel & PowerPoint). 10 in. x 10 in.
  • Piece 2: A Dozen Roses. 2017. Digital Art (Excel & PowerPoint). 10 in. x 10 in.
  • Piece 3: Five Flowers. 2017. Digital Art (Excel & PowerPoint). 10 in. x 10 in.
  • Piece 4: Flower Grid. 2017. Digital Art (Excel & PowerPoint). 10 in. x 10 in.
• 9th Annual Archway Gallery Juried Competition - Juror: Dr. Fernando Casas - 1 piece selected and on display from July 8 to August 3, 2017 at Archway Gallery
  • Piece: Self-Reflection of 2016. 2017. Hand-cut, layered paper. 12 in. x 12 in.[*Honorable Mention* Award]
• 12th Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) Invitational Juried Exhibition - Juror: Catherine Anspon - 4 pieces selected (most by any artist) and on display from August 7 to August 26, 2017 at The Silos at Sawyer Yards
  • Piece 1: Her Golden Throne. 2017. Hand-cut, layered paper. 24 in. x 18 in. [*Honorable Mention* Award]
  • Piece 2: Progression of Self-Reflection. 2017. Hand-cut, layered paper. 12 in. x 12 in.
  • Piece 3: Confidence. 2017. Graphite on paper. 15 in. x 15 in.
  • Piece 4: La Femme en Rouge. 2017. Soft pastel on paper. 22 in. x 15 in.
• Fresh Arts #TexasArtistsStrong Pop-Up Show on September 9, 2017 at Spring Street Studios to raise funds for artists affected by Hurricane Harvey
  • Piece: Different Yet the Same. 2017. Hand-cut, layered paper. 10 in. x 18 in.