Pasig Art Club on Magazine
My Home : Home & Shelter Magazine (November 2012)
Printed: November 2012 (featured artwork is by Kty German)
GOOD NIGHT
HOME TO MANY NOTABLE AND CELEBRATED Pasigueno visual artists, Pasig Art Club recently celebrated its 55th anniversary. It is one of the most respected collectives in our country, consisting of four generations of members.
To celebrate this milestone, a variety of artwork by members of the club were showcased recently at the Art Plaza of Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong City. Entitled “fifty five,” the collection featured the members’ creations, consisting of oil, acrylic, pastel, serigraphs, paper collage and sculpture. Members who participated include Jun Montifar, Lhen Perez-Cruzat, Ace Dimanlig, Chiqui Eusebio-Ocinar, Pyt Santos, Manolo Lozada, Tess Dimanlig-Torda, Alfred Morales, Alex Gonzales, Julius Dimanlig, Tupe Peralta, Elwin de Jesus, Nito Tiongco, Nasser Zulueta, MJ de Jesus, Gelo Domingo, Kty German, Jo Roxas, and Tony Remington. Guest artists included veteran animator Rex Avila, Philippine Sculptors Society president Ral Arrogante and prolific graphic artist Eric Cachero.
GOOD NIGHT
HOME TO MANY NOTABLE AND CELEBRATED Pasigueno visual artists, Pasig Art Club recently celebrated its 55th anniversary. It is one of the most respected collectives in our country, consisting of four generations of members.
To celebrate this milestone, a variety of artwork by members of the club were showcased recently at the Art Plaza of Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong City. Entitled “fifty five,” the collection featured the members’ creations, consisting of oil, acrylic, pastel, serigraphs, paper collage and sculpture. Members who participated include Jun Montifar, Lhen Perez-Cruzat, Ace Dimanlig, Chiqui Eusebio-Ocinar, Pyt Santos, Manolo Lozada, Tess Dimanlig-Torda, Alfred Morales, Alex Gonzales, Julius Dimanlig, Tupe Peralta, Elwin de Jesus, Nito Tiongco, Nasser Zulueta, MJ de Jesus, Gelo Domingo, Kty German, Jo Roxas, and Tony Remington. Guest artists included veteran animator Rex Avila, Philippine Sculptors Society president Ral Arrogante and prolific graphic artist Eric Cachero.
My Home : Home & Shelter Magazine (June 2012)
Printed: June 2012 (featured artworks are by Ace Dimanlig, Melba Tiongco and Jun Montifar)
KALIKHA-SAN
Ace Dimanlig, Alfred Morales, Melba Tiongco, MJ deJesus, Jun Montifar and Tupe Peralta, active members of the Pasig Art Club, showcased their interpretations and impressions of nature in a group exhibit recently held at Artistree Fine Arts, The Art Plaza, located at the EDSA Shangri-La Mall, Mandaluyong City.
The artists made use of various mediums such as pen, ink, pastel, acrylic, oil and paper board cutouts to portray several tropical plants, tree roots, native wildlife and landscapes.
KALIKHA-SAN
Ace Dimanlig, Alfred Morales, Melba Tiongco, MJ deJesus, Jun Montifar and Tupe Peralta, active members of the Pasig Art Club, showcased their interpretations and impressions of nature in a group exhibit recently held at Artistree Fine Arts, The Art Plaza, located at the EDSA Shangri-La Mall, Mandaluyong City.
The artists made use of various mediums such as pen, ink, pastel, acrylic, oil and paper board cutouts to portray several tropical plants, tree roots, native wildlife and landscapes.
Metro Society : Arts and Culture Issue (July 2011)
Printed: July 2011.
Moments of Art
six young artists are transforming our ideas of art through their intrepid and inventive works
written by Michellan Alagao
photographs by Pat Mateo
Liminality comes from the Latin word limen - threshold. A liminal state when crossing two different planes of existence, like that ,moment between sleeping and waking, and that half-second pause before someone answers the question, "Will you marry me?" Artists, by sheer virtue of being, are liminal creatures, caught between the traditions established before them, and the progress ang freedom pushing them forward. Here are snapshots of six different artists who are transforming the local art scene, their liminal state allowing them to both absorb the traditions of the past as the face the challenges of the future.
A graduate if an architecture course at the University of Santo Tomas, Danilo went on to work as a designer in Manila,Hong Kong, and Singapore. bogged down and disillusioned by work, danilo enrolled in a weekend art class in Singapore where he net artist and mentor Wee Shoo Leong, who inspired him to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time painter. so he resigned from his job, and took his life savings to Italy. Most of his work are small still-life pieces, as a matter of necessity. he cannot lift paintings that are too large, or too heavy. Danilo suffers from a rare and debilitating bone disease that leaves him in chronic pain. Nevertheless, his passionate patience gives him the strength to continue. he doesn't feel the need to explain his art. As long as the viewer finds beauty in his piece, he is content.
rained at The Florence Academy of Art, Danilo chooses to use the sun as his source of light and can take weeks and months on one piece alone. Notice the light suffuses the pineapple,soft yellow brought about by intricate brushstrokes. A strong grasp of chiaroscuro brings depth and poignancy to his still-life paintings, which are more vibrant than some of the most radical performance art around. In a scene filled with abstract art, random mish-mash of media, and works churned out of fast food, it is danilo's advocacy of classical painting that makes him stand out. He currently has a studio in Pasig, and is part of the Pasig Arts Club.
Moments of Art
six young artists are transforming our ideas of art through their intrepid and inventive works
written by Michellan Alagao
photographs by Pat Mateo
Liminality comes from the Latin word limen - threshold. A liminal state when crossing two different planes of existence, like that ,moment between sleeping and waking, and that half-second pause before someone answers the question, "Will you marry me?" Artists, by sheer virtue of being, are liminal creatures, caught between the traditions established before them, and the progress ang freedom pushing them forward. Here are snapshots of six different artists who are transforming the local art scene, their liminal state allowing them to both absorb the traditions of the past as the face the challenges of the future.
A graduate if an architecture course at the University of Santo Tomas, Danilo went on to work as a designer in Manila,Hong Kong, and Singapore. bogged down and disillusioned by work, danilo enrolled in a weekend art class in Singapore where he net artist and mentor Wee Shoo Leong, who inspired him to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time painter. so he resigned from his job, and took his life savings to Italy. Most of his work are small still-life pieces, as a matter of necessity. he cannot lift paintings that are too large, or too heavy. Danilo suffers from a rare and debilitating bone disease that leaves him in chronic pain. Nevertheless, his passionate patience gives him the strength to continue. he doesn't feel the need to explain his art. As long as the viewer finds beauty in his piece, he is content.
rained at The Florence Academy of Art, Danilo chooses to use the sun as his source of light and can take weeks and months on one piece alone. Notice the light suffuses the pineapple,soft yellow brought about by intricate brushstrokes. A strong grasp of chiaroscuro brings depth and poignancy to his still-life paintings, which are more vibrant than some of the most radical performance art around. In a scene filled with abstract art, random mish-mash of media, and works churned out of fast food, it is danilo's advocacy of classical painting that makes him stand out. He currently has a studio in Pasig, and is part of the Pasig Arts Club.
BluPrint : Special Issue (February 2010)
Printed: February 2010. The Design Source Book.
ACE GREEN
HORACIO “ACE” DIMANLIG: THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AS ARTIST
WRITEN BY LIAN LADIA (IMAGES COURTESY OF ARTE PASIGUENO GALLERY)
Horacio ‘Ace’ Dimanlig’s art in pen and ink is a reflection of skill in composition, perspective and keen observation – the very same qualities that have made him one of the country’s most respected landscape architects.
In 1967, while still in college at the University of the Philippines, Ace Dimanlig joined and won the National Design Competition for New Monetary Vignettes sponsored by the Central Bank of the Philipines. Participants from all over the country submitted 15x 20 inch pen and ink vignettes symbolizing Philippine independence and democracy. His rendering of theLegislative Building in Manila (now housing the National Museum) won first prize, for which the young man received a princely sum of P2000, and the honor of having his work printed at the back of the Philippine 50-peso bill. (At around the same time, Ace was also being commissioned to design checks for the Citibank branch of New York.)
Printed soon after Martial Law in the early 70s, Ace’s drawing is still in use in the 50-peso denomination today. On the close observation, you’ll notice one of Ace’s distinguishing traits as an artist, which was evident even back then: apart from the strong and gallant structure of the Legislative Building, the surrounding trees are being blown by the wind – alive, dynamic and natural looking. Ace’s sketches are known to have a strong environmental and naturalistic character – he is fond of drawing structures surrounded by tropical foliage in harmonious disarray.
In his sketching sessions with the Pasig Art Club, which was often held in their ancestral house in Pasig, Ace would often draw the banana trees in the backyard of the house. He was particularly fond of the young banana tree, attached by the translucence of its leaves in the sunlight, the grace and texture of the plant and its fruit.
Aside from the environmental character of his work, another distinguishing mark is his use of perspective. Oftentimes, certain figures in his drawing would have portions left blank, to give emphasis to depth of field, and to form, rather than detail. It would not be surprising if this were due to his training in architecture and landscape architecture at the university.
Ace recalls with fondness, the heyday of the Pasig Art Club in the Fifties and early Sixties, with its regular out of town sessions where the members like Botong Francisco and Fernando Amorsolo lugged along not only their easels and art materials, but also oftentimes their children or younger relatives too. “My uncle, Nemensio, Jr.,” says Ace, “would coerce me to come with him on such occasions.” Nemensio Dimanlig, Jr., a notable Pasigueno, who enjoyed his reputation as the first philatelic artist of the country, was in his prime in those days, and would often exhort his nephew to study hard and practice his art seriously, “so you can replace as stamp designer!”
Exposed at an early age to art and the invaluable camaraderie, learning, encouragement and support one gets from the regular fellowship of artists, Ace continues a great sense of awe and history, the legacy of the Pasig Art Club, now almost 50 years old.
To this day, like any serious artist, his art making is a continuous work in progress. He is still discovering mediums and techniques in his work together with young and old students of the arts at the Pasig Art Club. Apart from using ink and the pliancy of a waterproof pen, Ace says is beginning to explore color: “At this time, I’m combining ink and color while still preserving the integrity of pen and ink.” He says that he is also curious about printmaking techniques. His new drawings are comprised of pen and ink with a distinct separation of a mass of color – again, keeping perspective in mind.
All pen and ink drawings featured in this article were done on site during outdoor and out of town sketching fellowships of the Pasig Art Club. Each drawing took about two hours to finish, and they were all done without preliminary pencil work. The free hand sketches were done on Dimanlig’s favored paper: acid-free 160 gram Berkeley sketchpad paper.
It is without a doubt that his master’s degree in tropical landscape architecture has influenced his work as an artist. Although “the art and the utility interact to certain degree,” he mentions that there are still similarities and differences in the way he visualizes and articulates form on paper for the two arts. In his architectural practice, he visualizes the development of the place and the participatory aspect of human interaction with the environment. Whereas in his art, he draws his subject “in-its-state” on paper, letting go of control and utilizing his pen to take inspiration from the organic.
Ace is a staunch voice for sustainable design. He and like-minded colleagues encourage and educates clients to go green, converting expanses of concrete, for example, into roof deck gardens, and finding opportunities for recycling. In a way, Ace’s formative drawings are able to achieve these same goals for sustainability, but in a different manner. Through drawing, Ace preserves the beauty of natural and human creation in their original state.
ACE GREEN
HORACIO “ACE” DIMANLIG: THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AS ARTIST
WRITEN BY LIAN LADIA (IMAGES COURTESY OF ARTE PASIGUENO GALLERY)
Horacio ‘Ace’ Dimanlig’s art in pen and ink is a reflection of skill in composition, perspective and keen observation – the very same qualities that have made him one of the country’s most respected landscape architects.
In 1967, while still in college at the University of the Philippines, Ace Dimanlig joined and won the National Design Competition for New Monetary Vignettes sponsored by the Central Bank of the Philipines. Participants from all over the country submitted 15x 20 inch pen and ink vignettes symbolizing Philippine independence and democracy. His rendering of theLegislative Building in Manila (now housing the National Museum) won first prize, for which the young man received a princely sum of P2000, and the honor of having his work printed at the back of the Philippine 50-peso bill. (At around the same time, Ace was also being commissioned to design checks for the Citibank branch of New York.)
Printed soon after Martial Law in the early 70s, Ace’s drawing is still in use in the 50-peso denomination today. On the close observation, you’ll notice one of Ace’s distinguishing traits as an artist, which was evident even back then: apart from the strong and gallant structure of the Legislative Building, the surrounding trees are being blown by the wind – alive, dynamic and natural looking. Ace’s sketches are known to have a strong environmental and naturalistic character – he is fond of drawing structures surrounded by tropical foliage in harmonious disarray.
In his sketching sessions with the Pasig Art Club, which was often held in their ancestral house in Pasig, Ace would often draw the banana trees in the backyard of the house. He was particularly fond of the young banana tree, attached by the translucence of its leaves in the sunlight, the grace and texture of the plant and its fruit.
Aside from the environmental character of his work, another distinguishing mark is his use of perspective. Oftentimes, certain figures in his drawing would have portions left blank, to give emphasis to depth of field, and to form, rather than detail. It would not be surprising if this were due to his training in architecture and landscape architecture at the university.
Ace recalls with fondness, the heyday of the Pasig Art Club in the Fifties and early Sixties, with its regular out of town sessions where the members like Botong Francisco and Fernando Amorsolo lugged along not only their easels and art materials, but also oftentimes their children or younger relatives too. “My uncle, Nemensio, Jr.,” says Ace, “would coerce me to come with him on such occasions.” Nemensio Dimanlig, Jr., a notable Pasigueno, who enjoyed his reputation as the first philatelic artist of the country, was in his prime in those days, and would often exhort his nephew to study hard and practice his art seriously, “so you can replace as stamp designer!”
Exposed at an early age to art and the invaluable camaraderie, learning, encouragement and support one gets from the regular fellowship of artists, Ace continues a great sense of awe and history, the legacy of the Pasig Art Club, now almost 50 years old.
To this day, like any serious artist, his art making is a continuous work in progress. He is still discovering mediums and techniques in his work together with young and old students of the arts at the Pasig Art Club. Apart from using ink and the pliancy of a waterproof pen, Ace says is beginning to explore color: “At this time, I’m combining ink and color while still preserving the integrity of pen and ink.” He says that he is also curious about printmaking techniques. His new drawings are comprised of pen and ink with a distinct separation of a mass of color – again, keeping perspective in mind.
All pen and ink drawings featured in this article were done on site during outdoor and out of town sketching fellowships of the Pasig Art Club. Each drawing took about two hours to finish, and they were all done without preliminary pencil work. The free hand sketches were done on Dimanlig’s favored paper: acid-free 160 gram Berkeley sketchpad paper.
It is without a doubt that his master’s degree in tropical landscape architecture has influenced his work as an artist. Although “the art and the utility interact to certain degree,” he mentions that there are still similarities and differences in the way he visualizes and articulates form on paper for the two arts. In his architectural practice, he visualizes the development of the place and the participatory aspect of human interaction with the environment. Whereas in his art, he draws his subject “in-its-state” on paper, letting go of control and utilizing his pen to take inspiration from the organic.
Ace is a staunch voice for sustainable design. He and like-minded colleagues encourage and educates clients to go green, converting expanses of concrete, for example, into roof deck gardens, and finding opportunities for recycling. In a way, Ace’s formative drawings are able to achieve these same goals for sustainability, but in a different manner. Through drawing, Ace preserves the beauty of natural and human creation in their original state.