Taking Joy In The JOYA AWARDS

Caloy Mendoza's winning work.

I managed to catch the last day of the 33^rd Joya Awards at the SM Art Center and picked my favorite paintings. Having been a student of this master when I was in college, I was curious to see what an art competition named after him embodies.

Uzi Emperado, one of the finalists personally opened the gallery on its last day to show your art jotter the collection.

Uzi Emperado's self portrait

Created in 1976 mainly with the help of the late National Artist Jose Joya who was then the Dean of the College of Fine Arts in Diliman , The Jose Joya Awards is a commitment to the proliferation of the Fine Arts. The University of the Philippines, Visayas Cebu College (UPVCC) Fine Arts Program was the foremost formal Fine Arts school outside Luzon and was recipient of Joya’s noble efforts. The Jose Joya Awards plays a major role in generating art and culture awareness among Cebuano students and serves as good ground for training young artists on the technicalities of mounting an art exhibition. All winning student-artists receive cash prizes and medals for their achievements while their artworks become property of UPVCC.

The winning work this year is called “Here, The Fountain Flows” by 20 year old, Carlo Mendoza. To this jotter, this mixed media piece captures Cebuano Pop Art beautifully. The artist superimposed digitally manipulated images on a wooden box painted with gradations of light ochre green and the ethereal blue. “If you look beyond the visual and go deeper into the painting’s meaning you’ll get the title. Despite difficulties one has to learn to flow with changes to accomplish great things,” reveals this year’s winner.

The Jose Joya Awards continues to challenge every new set of Fine Arts student leaders and renewed hope for every competitor. Highlighting the significant role of art in our society, it is also where students’ artistic dreams are made and masterpieces are conceived.

tulle&chantilly

Suede & Tulle

apparently, you can't write text if you email a photo from your iphone directly to go@blogger.com

lilies and dends

i did this ikebana arrangement for a photo shoot with cybill and john yesterday.

Avaloketishvara, a thangka painting from a book given by my friend georgia.

i was testing my mobile post and it works :)

champagne

here's a dress in champagne colored taffeta for amy.

If I

Mang Ben

…were legendary fashion designer Ben Farrales, the featured finale for a group fashion gala and security guards at the backstage entrance will not let me in because I’m not wearing my access card what would I do? Although his temper is as legendary as his designs ”Mang Ben” stayed cool when the guards didn’t recognize him. A young designer who witnessed the incident politely greeted the fashion icon and told the guard who the gentleman was, thus the beloved designer went through the tarpaulin curtains with his dignity intact.

Fusion of The Butterfly Sleeve and Cola (Train)

... were an upscale coffee shop and I invited the local press of Cebu to my opening, I would make sure that all the editors are included in my guest list. I'd also make sure that the receptionist will have the savoir faire not to turn away unlisted guests. At a recent opening, local branch of an international chain of coffee shops committed social relations faux pas by turning away a guest instead of asking her to register her name and put in her contact numbers. The guest turned out to be an editor from a lifestyle glossy, while the receptionist turned out to be clueless.

Suit inspired by the Baju Kebaya

…were greeted by someone familiar whose name I can’t remember how do I get out of such an awkward situation? At a recent gala featuring 100 designers, a Cebuano designer who gained endearment with his gentle ways via a designer’s competition reality show asked all the wrong questions just to get a clue when an extremely friendly young but established Manila designer came up to kiss him. The Manila designer had to reintroduce himself while giggling. “ Ang dami kasi natin,(there’s just too many of us in this show),” the Cebuano designer apologized laughing.