art. . .what it's not

i asked my burikbutikan friends to write about what art is, so i can blog about it when they hold their solo exhibits here at the cafe des artes. and was i amazed by their answers! it was not merely defining the word, more on how they see and feel, as an artist.

but, won't it be easier to define art by what it isn't?
maybe. really. possibly.

so here's my take;

art isn't the thing i hang on the wall to match my sheets, or the dark wooden walls that surround my room, and the living room, and all the other rooms in my house.

art isn't the thing i hang on my wall, that i am sure my friends will approve of because they have a copy hanging on their walls.

art isn't and will never give me the feeling of being rich, but surely, enriched. bwahahaha!
and on that note, art isn't only for those that are filthy rich, even those on payroll can own art.

art isn't something i make because i think somebody will buy it, but merely because the process gives me joy and peace.

art isn't only the colours i put on canvass, or the buttons i thread to wear, it is its gift of connecting and involving me and the other.

i wish i had a list of inspirational quotes from great artists of the past regarding art. i can see they knew what it was, because of what they left behind: art.

and this makes me think of the time i saw van gogh's starry night at the art institute of chicago. (i love going to museums and galleries, whenever i travel). the place was packed with other people all trying to see the paintings as well. i was supposed to be polite, look at the painting, and move on. . .nope. i was rude and i stopped. . .for a long time, i stopped, because the painting required me to look at it for a long time. that's art. it makes my eyes not want to leave. it makes me not want to leave.

but realistically, it doesn't have to be starry night, to be art. even you or i can make something that is truly art. all it needs is to have a smidgeon of something that starry night has - it has to be interesting.

maybe it matches my sheets, too, that's ok. if it's interesting then i call it art. my eyes want to look because it's interesting, not because it matches my sheets. it is so interesting that i want to look at it all the time, maybe even sleep with it. bwahahaha! now, that's art.

artworks on my walls are all by OsacnaB

a close brush with art

the baao community college and the baao high school students had a close brush with art last week.

these two, were the first schools to take part in the cafe des artes ongoing exhibit entitled: salmo ag berso by fr. nunilon arnold bancaso, jr. or OsacnaB. as a member of the burikbutikan baao, an arts collective made up of five active baao artists, OsacnaB and the group aims to encourage students to engage in visual arts. and as part of the group's program, the cafe des artes gives students the opportunity to see artworks displayed in the gallery.

baao community college art instructor bing alvina said the gallery visit broadened students' horizons. this prompted him to let joyce de los santos, an art teacher of the baao high school, know and encouraged her to bring the fourth year high school art students to the gallery.

"it was a chance for our younger students to see the best artworks of OsacnaB.

"the activities were highly engaging for the age level of our students and allowed them to access complex abstract artworks at their own level. students and teachers really enjoyed the day.

"there is no better way to engage with art than seeing the original works in real life.

burikbutikan baao and cafe des artes strive for a continued longstanding relationship with the baao community college and the baao high school.

. . . when students find inspiration

where do students turn when they are looking for ideas for making art? artworks are not produced in a vacuum, but by the interaction of experiences, and interrelationships of ideas, perception (mind) and feelings (heart) acknowledged and expressed in some form.

"Art is the union of the mind and heart. it is a kind of coitus within man that allows him to create something new other than himself, artwork." - OsacnaB

students, like mature artists, may be inspired and motivated by their memories and observations of their surroundings. they may find that their own cultural and personal background is a stimulating basis for their own creative activities, and that their surroundings can have a definite effect on what influences an artist.

looking at many diverse kinds of artworks provides students not only with knowledge about art but also with the attitude that there is no "right" or "wrong" way to make art.

"we will have no fear of whatever we are doing for we can say that i am an artist and my artwork is me." - OsacnaB

the works of other artists have always been an inspiration for students, creating a springboard for followers.

and as art advocateur, cafe des artes provides the venue that can guide and motivate students to explore numerous inspirational sources.

and by asking questions, providing visual resources, and activating the thoughts, feelings and perceptions of the students, there is no doubt that baao can produce great artists. . .soon!

cafe des artes is open to student group tours by appointment.

cafe des artes – a rising art gallery

outside, strains of sounds from passing motorists flitted through the quiet neighbourhood where residents start the day with a cup of coffee on one hand, a newspaper on the other, walking towards the nearest neighbour to engage in early morning chitchat. . .

where pedicab drivers start to conglomerate by the corner to try and pedal their way to earn for lunch. . .

but inside Cafe des Artes, a rising art gallery, housed in Villa Esperanza, an old ancestral Spanish house, nestled on the corner of the national road and one barangay road, one huge event happened on 2 July 2011 when OsacnaB opened his one man art show entitled “salmo ag berso”.

on said date, more than 60 artists and self-professed "art fans" chatted and snacked against a backdrop of dark wooden walls where at least thirty magnificent OsacnaB artworks are displayed,

and others wined amidst the lush fern garden just outside the gallery, immersed in the continuous drift of lively music from a violinist.

"salmo ag berso" runs the whole month of july 2011 at the Cafe des Artes. seeya!