Tribong USTE and UST Atelier Alumni Association Inc. (UST-AAAI) mounted “Vision: Ember (Hearth and Harvest),” in celebration of National Arts month and Lunar New Year, on March 1 at the Artologist Gallery in Mandaluyong City.
Consisting of works of 34 Thomasian artists, the exhibit featured a collection of paintings and sculptures.
“When I thought of ember, I thought of fire. It’s on fire every night. And, hearth is our home, our association, our atelier,” UST-AAAI Public Relations Officer Patrick Naval said in his opening remarks.
Naval also exhibited his artwork, “Azure Equilibrium” a 21×8.5×7-in. stainless steel, clear epoxy resin, molave wood sculpture showing fishes in the sea.
Continuing the theme of maritime beauty, UST College of Fine Arts and Design Regent Fr. Edgardo Alaurin, O.P. displayed his 10x13x20-in. stainless steel sculpture, “Fishers of Man.”
According to Alaurin, the fishermen in his sculpture are symbolic of the apostles James and John following the light of God.
“They were fishermen, they were casting their nets. So it’s more about vocation, the calling to become a follower of Christ,” he said.
Conservatory of Music graduate Maribel Villarmia exhibited her 27×25-in mixed media painting, titled “Harbinger of Fortune,” which features a peacock as a Chinese symbol of prosperity.
Villarmia used light brush strokes and silky textures in her work, showcasing her distinct style of work that blends Western watermedia techniques with historical East-Asian art.
“There are people who say, I’m only Japanese or Chinese, and there are people who say I’m only Western. But for me, because I took classes from both sides, I can’t separate them,” she told the Varsitarian.
Advertising arts alumnus Raul Isidro rendered the natural world with images of differently colored clouds in his 12×12-in. acrylic on canvas paintings, “Yellow Parade” and “Red Summer.”
“I was raised in the province. Our house was facing the sea. So that became my reference,” Isidro said.
Vision: Ember ran until March 13. John Kobe S. Balod
