Happy Mothers' Day!! Love, YSL

Happy happy Mothers' Day to everyone's moms!! :-) And to the best mom ever -- my mom!! She takes care of my and stays overnight in the hospital when I get vomit-attacks, medicates me when I get sick and panic about it, helps me staple hearts together for my Valentines' Day display, paints characters and letters for my Back-to-School one so I can sleep an hour more at night... I love you mom!! :-)

During our one month of ultimate bonding in our Spain trip last year, we spent an exotic week in Morocco. A definite highlight was our visit to the Majorelle Gardens in Marrakech, a plot of land that houses a variety of Mediterranean plants and birds. First privately owned and initiated by Jacques Majorelle, a French painter in retirement in Morocco, the Gardens were then purchased and maintained by two more Parisians, Pierre Berge and his lover, and someone whom my mom is a big fan of, Yves Saint Laurent.

YSL himself retired in these gardens and used them as inspiration to paint, some of his work marking his years in Morocco. His ashes were also buried in the area, and a section is gated from the public as Berge still resides there.

My mom's favorite place in Morocco where she probably took pictures of every plant, funny-looking or not! Hahaha!

Happy Mothers' Day again to everyone!! May we all cherish these golden moments with them! :-)

Pictures from a small gallery in the Majorelle Gardens as well as around the area. The blue house is where YSL's painting room is! :-) But it wasn't open so we could only get an exterior picture. For information on the gardens, you can visit http://www.jardinmajorelle.com/en/.

On Sunlight and Shadows

Tonight, my mom, sisters and I had dinner with my mom's friend, Tita Celia. Though from Manila, she lives in Spain and when my sister studied there for some time last year, she took care of her and her fellow students. In fact, she takes care of so many of daughters and sons of friends who study in Europe! Including my cousin Anina and some family friends who were at the dinner too.

When we were in Madrid, she took us to an exhibit of the painter Joaquin Sorolla in the world famous Spanish national Prado Museum. Never before had his work been compiled in such a large quantity as we were able to see, and walking around the exhibit, I was only more and more stunned as I went further into every gallery. His scenes capture everyday Spanish provincial life, of farmers gathering crops, of fishermen pulling boats, and of women and children playing during the afternoon. But its his play with light and dark, with his highlight in the areas on which sunlight hits and shadows form that makes what would be commonplace images so stunning, so beautiful, so wonderful to be in the presence of. Not to mention, his work comes in such LARGE scales to say the least, measuring in canvasses of 12 by 14 feet at times.

Strolling Along the Seashore

After the Bath

Sewing the Sail

Some of my favorites. Imagine these rays of sunlight and shadows on a 14 foot scale!!

One of his smaller pieces in the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, a museum dedicated to modern art, situated very near the Prado, making up the Madrid Triangle of Art along with the Museo Thyssen-Bornemiza (my absolute 100% favorite museum ever!! More on that another time). I can't read the title in the picture though. :-S

My mom and Tita Celia in front of the Prado Museum promotion. We couldn't take pictures inside the exhibit of course, so we took them outside instead! Hahaha! This piece was part of the beach series he painted about the same time as Strolling Along the Seashore. The women in the painting are his wife and eldest daughter.

Seville

A painting of Seville, Spain, as part of a series called The Provinces of Spain, for the Hispanic Society of America. Only in the exhibit in the Prado were all the paintings in the series ever in Spanish soil together.

Try as I may to provide you with samples of his work, I don't think any picture could ever give justice to how marvelous I really believe they are. So if you ever ever get the chance to see his work, I trust you'll make the effort upon my recommendation. It would really be worth it!!

On the side of the museum.

Going to the Prado was easily one of the most memorable days of my life. Not only did I see Sorolla's paintings, but in the main part of the museum, I was able to see work by classical artists -- the ones I've only ever read about in history books and pretend to understand about in cultural references. Raphael, Sandro Botticelli, Diego Velasquez, Francisco Goya, Paul Rubens... I was even able to see The Garden of Earthly Delights by Heironymus Bosch, a piece I had read about in class. I was starstruck if you could say so! Hahaha! :-)

Visiting museums, being in Spain, really made me feel like a part of the world. I love living in Manila; there's really no place like it. But being in a major city in the world, taking part and seeing culture that I had only ever heard of before was such an exhilarating and empowering experience. I should probably just save this for another entry, one that I'd been saving to talk about my Spanish trip in its entirety, but I just had to mention it as well. The Prado wasn't even my favorite place there yet and I'm already raving!

Leaving the Bath

I really love how he painted the see-through dress against the girl's thigh in this one. If only the sunlight hit us as gracefully here in Manila. Unfortunately, the summer heat has really gotten unbearable, don't you think?? Even Tita Celia thinks so.

Visit http://www.joaquin-sorolla-y-bastida.org/ to see more of Joaquin Sorolla's work. :-)

Packed!!!

WOOHOOO!!! The Fully Booked displays are all ready to be picked up and I have this ONE FREE DAY to catch up with movies, friends, and life outside of work!! I start setting up in the stores on Thursday, and that will probably continue on until next week. I have one extra project to take care of too. Here we go!!

A super giant thank you to my mom who helped me work over the weekend. And to Marco who helped me pack everything the whole day. I can't imagine what time I would have finished without them!!

And one last thought and thank you -- to my friend Marco who drew all 200 of the creatures you'll see in the stores, and who also is turning a year older today!! Happy happy birthday!! :-) Some of these creatures are just too adorable. They look great colored and cut in shape. :-)

Buried

That's exactly how I feel at the moment -- BURIED. Buried in that pile of books, paint, boxes, cutouts, and so much more! I've hit the 3/4th finish line mark in the Fully Booked Back to School displays and whenever I get to that point in ANY project, I always get depressed.  Not literally, of course I'm exaggerating.  But being a quarter's worth of work away from the deadline, yet still having a mountain to conquer, getting there one painted box at a time, and feeling like the pile is never getting smaller is so disheartening.  :-(

So good luck to me! On this one last day (hopefully) of prepping, tomorrow's day of packing everything, and Tuesday's deadly deadline.

The picture is from my GRAND SET-UP DAY last Wednesday.  So thankful for everyone who came and helped out!!

Lazy Sunday

Last Sunday, my two friends Mela and Marco helped me paint paint paint for my next window display project. Marco also drew all the illustrations, and Mela is my neighbor so she thought to drop by and help us.

Set-up days (days when I gather and make all the things I need for shoots and displays) are so unbearable sometimes. I completely dread them! I never know if what I plan to accomplish will actually get done, nor if my strategies of putting crafts together will work. But it's always great when a helping hand from two of my closest friends, and to talk and laugh together for the 6 or so hours we painted. At some point, even my mom and sisters joined in!

Tomorrow, I have a GRAND SET UP DAY, hoping to finish as much as I can for the Fully Booked Back-to-School displays which are due for pick up sometime next week. It's crunch time! Really, there's so much to do, and so little time left to finish them.

So now, I'll get off the internet and work!

Happy Earth Day!!

Making do with what we've got -- that's what Alexandre Orion, a Brazilian artist has done in his street art project using exhaust dirt in tunnels and underpasses. "Cleaning the Streets" was the title given to the project in an article my friend Robbie tweeted awhile back.

I thought the theme would be apt for today is Earth Day! And project like these are our reminder to make do with the damage that we've already done, and at the same time, do our part in respecting what resources are still available.

Doing my own part is hard -- I use and dispose materials left and right in my job. But I try my best, hoarding all that I can reduce, reuse and recycle!

Another example of the project, this time by Paul Curtis, for Clorox's Green Works.

I wonder if we can do this here in Manila... without getting stopped by police or authorities! We definitely have MANY dirty spots in the metro that would be perfect for this.

Happy Earth Day again!!

These photos plus more and a short write-up on the project can be found here: http://illusion.scene360.com/graffiti/8190/cleaning-the-streets-reverse-graffiti/. More videos there too!

Why I Love Emmanuelle Alt

I was never a girly kind of girl. I only really decided to learn how to wear (and not to mention, move around in) a skirt until after college, I still don't wear make-up (even if I'm trying to be a make-up artist, terrible!!), and I don't particularly favor jewelry.

For some reason though, everyone around me does! Every other girl I know has mastered getting in and out of SUV's in skirts, finds the time and discipline to put on a new face every morning, and can maintain a manicure for more than three days.

So for someone like me, who runs around in jeans and t-shirts, and walks out of the house with messy hair, and a hairtie around my wrist as sorry excuse for a "bracelet," there are so few fashion icons to look up to for style I'd actually take after.

But there is --- Emmanuelle Alt!! She not only takes charge of the fashion pages in French Vogue, but also influences people like me -- the un-girly girls -- and shows us that the usual jeans and t-shirt can in fact be one of the most stylish outfits!

I love love love her trademark blazer look too! I probably own too many for my own good.

I think I reached a point of superficial frustration sometime ago, venting to my close friends about how I wished to be a manicure-maintaining, heels-wearing, jewelry-collecting, poised girly girl. Being covered in paint and sawdust all day, running around in rubber shoes and feeling sticky during shoots, I'm clearly far from leading the most glamorous lifestyle ever.

But I love Emmanuelle Alt for showing me that there is hope in the un-girly girl's wardrobe. There is style in the most well-fitting jeans, perfectly loose t-shirts and plain, make-up-free faces. There is hope for me! Hahahaha!

Here pictured with Carine Roitfeld, Editor-in-Chief of French Vogue

And tonight, I gathered enough courage to wear heels! Yes, I survived my first night out in heels! Hahaha!

Photos from Tommy Ton of http://jakandjil.com/, one of my favorite fashion blogs!

Run and Play

run&play ph with Arigato, Hato! - Mister Music Maker from run&play ph on Vimeo.

In his pursuit of portfolio-building and music-loving, one of my good friends, Marco (not to be confused with my boyfriend Marco, whom I mention a lot in this blog and who helps me with almost everything art dept related!), started a website here in the Philippines that features acoustic performances of local independent acts. Since launching only a few weeks ago, Run and Play Ph is well on its way to provide a library of music played best -- stripped down to its most sincere form.

This video of Arigato, Hato! has to be my favorite of what they've released. It's a simple, cute performance for a simple, cute website!

For more videos, including those from Outerhope and Ang Bandang Shirley, visit http://runandplayph.wordpress.com/. You can also find them on Tumblr: http://runplayph.tumblr.com, and  visit their Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/49164306@N04/. Beautiful pictures! :-)

Alive Out There

There's nothing like the experience of watching music played live. No matter who the band is, I find myself always inspired and in awe of performances when backed up by the most complementary lights and a perfect pitch sound system.

Just two or three weeks ago, I was part of a crew that taped a concert, the first of a series for online viewing called Alive Out There. At the end of the shoot, we were nothing short of amazed. The band, Urbandub, already a favorite among us crew members, even prepared to play their songs with a string quartet, dj and other guest performers (as can be seen from the teaser above).

Now that the program has been released and the website launched, everyone else can see what an awesome show it was as well. After all, there's nothing like the experience of watching music played live.

To watch the concert (I definitely recommend it!!), click this next link:
http://pelicola.tv/channels/index_gg.asp?msg=Passkey%20Required#watch, and for more information on Urbandub, visit their website http://urbandub.bembang.com/. :-)

Hopefully more of these soon! And HAPPY WEEKEND everyone!!

Johnoy

This is Johnoy Danao, a very very talented musician and the subject of today's shoot. With his guitar by his side, he makes beautiful beautiful music. Watch out for his solo work coming soon!!

And click on this next link for his music in his duo act, Johnoy & Kakoy: http://pelicola.tv/channels/episode_aatw.asp?video_id=54 (an episode for Pelicola.tv's Alive at the Womb that I was part of too!).

A short, sweet and steady afternoon shoot!

Photography by my good friend Pong Ignacio (who also shot the Alive at the Womb episode), shot at The Living Room Photography Studios http://www.thelivingroomphotography.com/.