TWO UST alumni made it to the Hall of Fame of the 34th “Kulay sa Tubig” (KST) painting competition, the longest-running watercolor painting contest in the country, held from Oct. 3 to 9 at SM Megamall Ground Floor Mega Fashion Hall.
Painting alumnus Manuel Baldemor and architecture alumnus Noli Principe Manalang were among the 19 painters recognized as the “best watercolorists” in the country for winning at least three times in the invitational competition.
Baldemor graduated from UST with a bachelor’s degree in painting in 1968, while Manalang earned his bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University in 2000.
According to Manalang, Araceli Salas, the founder of the Gallery Genesis that formed the KST competition, invited him to participate in the watercolor contest after discovering him in the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Diwa ng Sining 2001 Painting Competition.
Manalang won the KST competition in 2002, 2003, and 2004.
Manalang, the youngest artist in the KST Hall of Fame this year, said his participation in various art competitions paved his way to the mainstream Philippine art scene.
“The pressure is my ambition to win in successive years, which I did. I’m not actually pressured because of my competitors’ seniority, but as cliché as it may sound, I am competing against myself. I always keep my eye on the prize,” Manalang told Varsitarian.
Others inducted to the Hall of Fame were Nel Canasa, Rodelio Cerda, Jose Ceriola, Edgar Fernandez, Araceli Dans, Antipas Delotavo, Clarence Eduarte, Renato Habulan, Benjie Aldrido, Margarita Lim, Christian Mirang, Victor Ng, Ernesto Patricio, Virgilio Pomida, Pablo Santos, Jimmy Vista, and Shui Long Wong.
