I. Title: The Scientific Method
Watercolor on paper, back etched + painted acrylic, with aluminum hinged frame. 14.75 x 20″. 2023 II. Abstract: Whether it is through “manifestation” or “letting go”, “Spiritual Awakening” is a trend that society is trying to intubate us with. Unfortunately, all these “Spiritual Systems” share very similar end goals: A sense of inner peace, oneness […]
In Medias Res
Sketchbook Pro Drawing Back in 2017, I had a dream that my late horse Arnie was shot by three men in front of me. It happened in a field in the middle of nowhere. I had to flee but not without taking a part of him with me, so once the assailants left, I chopped […]
Starlet Fever
Artwork for the band Punebre Sketchbook Pro drawing over a scanned watercolor “inkblot” 2023 ***Update: Now with a Boss HM-2 Wazaaaa! See if you can find it! This was supposed to be a prank. Just a quick 3 week max, comic-like doodle. But since my reptilian brain doesn’t have a sense of humor, it went […]
Jungian Sorcery
24″ x 18″ . Watercolor with Dr. Ph. Martin’s bleed-proof white . 2022 It All Started With a Dream. It was midnight, November 1, 1998. We thought it was Hallow’s Eve (duh) so my friend Candy and I planned this epic Ouija board, beer, and weed session at the village park. Amidst laughter and summoning […]
Message Request
24″ x 18″ . Watercolor . 2022 This is my first “most beautiful inkblot”. Please zoom in, otherwise it can look like barf. The initial reaction for “Pus Seeking‘s” original inkblot was fear of destroying something so intrinsically beautiful. On the contrary, this one got me so fired up that I jumped right into painting […]
Ecce Homo
5.4″ x 8.5″ . Watercolor with Dr. Ph. Martin’s bleed-proof white . 2022 This is a prelude to the big “dog whistle” painting that’s taking a while to complete. 2022 has gifted me with the worst case of tinnitus ever. It feels like a gin tonic is bubbling inside my skull along with the sound! […]
In Dark Purity
5.4″ x 8.5″ . Watercolor with Dr. Ph. Martin’s bleed-proof white . 2022 The Civilization Series is a bunch of Rorschach tests, so naturally one sees oneself in them. Because of my liberties in painting-in the things I see in the blots, anyone can diagnose me. But don’t forget that I’m diagnosing you too. The […]
Pus Seeking in the Monarch-Kitty
24″ x 18″ . Watercolor with Dr. Ph. Martin’s bleed-proof white . 2022 I always bother to write a wall of text about my work because the right people will find this “Rosetta Stone” and appreciate my process. Art creators who can clearly express their purpose without the clairvoyance of a verbose, oftentimes pretentious interpreter […]
The Emancipation of MOLLOCH
Watercolor . 8.5″ x 11″ . 2022 I had no idea who MOLLOCH was… Coming back home from the Beyond the Gates Festival was rough. Watching all these “unicorn status” bands perform LIVE, the “alcohOLYMPICS”, nicotine withdrawal, the sheer shock of making awesome friends and having an absolute blast, getting to meet one of the […]
Nothing to See Here
Watercolor 21 x 14 cm 2022 Or is there?
COMMISSION Intermission: Something Really Different!
The One Voice Addendum Oil on canvas 25″ x 40″ x 1.5″ I post the technical aspects of my work on my website because the finished piece is always only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. All my paintings are results of the curated distillate of ideas, research (so I don’t end up reinventing the […]
Psychotechnics
Watercolor 27.9 x 21.5 cm 2022 Is the use of psychological techniques for controlling and modifying human behavior, especially for practical ends. In choosing visual art as a career, one of my purposes is to make people snap out of their semi-conscious lives and consider other possibilities, even realities. My work is not easy to […]
Malignancy’s Shark vs Promo Dude : An Odyssey
My New Year’s Resolution for 2022 is to be at peace with this work…….. and drink less! A finished artwork is just the tip of the iceberg. Ideally one would like to bask in its glory (if it turns out alright), but people rarely see or understand the great pains an “artist” goes through in […]
Updated: Malignancy’s Shark vs. Promo Dude
Artwork commissioned by Alexander Dela Cruz for the band Malignancy + Official logo from the Motivated by Hunger EP. Shirt of black and white version is now available at Malignancy’s Bandcamp! The two requested adjustments for the colored version were to make the shark’s eye more realistic vs. the original cartoon-like one, and the comeback […]
Bottle Opener
Watercolor + Dr. Ph. Martin’s bleed proof white (You cannot call an artwork ‘watercolor’ alone if you use white paint) 8.25 x 5.4 inches (The image above is pretty close to actual size) 2021 I haven’t touched an actual paintbrush in the last 6 months. Though the people who follow my work will know why soon […]
The Cuzco Commission
Oil on canvas 42″ x 32″ 2020 This painting is the reigning champion of my most unusual commissions. Whilst the objective was to create a “replica” of another painting, I was also free to improve it as I saw fit. There is truth in saying that all pieces of art, even copies are “original works […]
The “Other” Migrante Cover
People often have the misconception that art school teaches one how to “make art”, regardless of predisposition and inclination. It’s easy to overlook such prerequisites as passing a university’s entrance exam first, while already possessing a certain level of skill. It’s not like golf where there is a “consultant” that teaches you which club is […]
Primordial Essence
Please click for larger view Oil on canvas 60” x 25” 2014 Dystopian societies and far-flung, post-apocalyptic futures are possibly some of my more favored science fiction and fantasy settings. I have drawn inspiration from the grimdark atmosphere of plagues and pandemics in the construction of some of my own worlds, but never did I […]
Converpulations (The Disaster Piece)
There are so many things wrong with it: The proportion, the perspective, the bizarre, unreconcilable monotonal* rust and metallic lead color scheme, the light source, the list goes on… But I daresay that by sacrificing so many academic notions, this work took on a life of its own. As an added bonus, it gave the camera a […]
Pentacles
8.27″ x 11.69″ . Watercolor . 2019 2022 Update. The REAL story behind this painting. In the film “The Menu”, solo diners are not allowed in the fictional “haute-gourmet” restaurant Hawthorne. Back in 2019, I faced the same predicament when I wanted to experience Heston Blumenthal’s three Michelin star restaurant, The Fat Duck. Resigning to […]
Salvation Manual
One can’t help but wonder whether the hours I spend manipulating the details of these hybrid print/paintings detract from the glory of the original inkblots. Do you see what the little people are doing? Do people even read all these words? Doesn’t really matter. We resort to all sorts of things to make sense of […]
Many Ways to Reach the End
22″ x 12″ Watercolor on paper 2017 For as long as I can remember, I have been experiencing a visual sensory phenomenon that I’ve named ‘Cone Theory’ for lack of a better definitive term. Concentric lines, which look oddly similar to the symbol for WiFi, form patterns on every single surface. Perhaps I will make […]
Subcutanea
Watercolor 21 x 29.7 cm 2018 Survival is intrinsic to our nature. But, mankind’s establishment as a species has overtaken what our bodies have evolved to do on a cellular level. While our bodies are trying to rewire or figure out another avenue to circumvent the energy intended for escaping that ‘saber toothed cat that […]
Where the One-Eyed Man is King
It’s always much easier to go with the consensus rather than slowly carve your own path in the wilderness. The potential of having devastating consequences or gratifying rewards are on both ends of the volitional spectrum. Mob mentality is an evolutionary mechanism — Being in a group simply ensures a greater chance of survival. It’s […]
Civilization
I learned about the wonderful world of Decalcomania more than two decades ago. Creating these ‘inktricate’ blobs, blotches, spots and blots a la Rorschach, has always been a lush proving ground for the latent imagination. The late Dr. himself would know. These monotype ‘inkblots’ were created by dropping watercolor onto a piece of paper, and […]
‘The Transformative Power of Art’ by Van James
I’ve recently had the privilege to participate in an exceptional 2 part workshop of artist, book author, and Waldorf teacher, Van James held in Prado Farms, an appropriately transformative venue in Lubao, Pampanga. It was a remarkable combination of content and context. Prado Farms is a Biodynamic and organic farm; An Eco-resort with its own forest, lush […]
Violence and the Macabre
How Did the Head Fit in the Jar? Oil on canvas 36 x 76 cm In order to use limbs as painting implements and turn blood into a feasible pigment, an anti-coagulant is essential in a post-mortem scenario. Even after a few days, untreated blood will mix with the other fluids of decomposition and […]
Mortality Weakness
2013 hasn’t been disappointing in terms of exciting projects that redefine the word ‘job’. This one in particular falls under the ‘surreal’ category in terms of parameters and workflow. In Dark Purity is perhaps the most respected, and tastefully infamous ‘zine in this side of the world. After making the IDP cover 9 years ago, […]
Tales of Revilement Part 2: Nidhogg
Right before 2012 ended, I was contacted by Revilement for another commission –a t-shirt design for their Finland tour. The band’s specifics included a creature in a frozen wasteland. Obsessed with coherence, everything had to fall under order and relevance, so impetus compelled me to expand on the Jormungandr concept. Besides, ‘Revilement’ has always sounded […]
Jormungandr : Tales of Revilement
This is a commissioned piece for the Taiwanese death metal band Revilement, whom Brimstone in Fire were fortunate to open for in the Davao, Philippines leg of their South East Asia tour. Upon the release of their album Pillars of Balance in December 2011, they needed a corresponding design for their tour shirt. Recommended by a mutual friend: local […]
Brimstone In Fire Glyph
This glyph was designed for our band, Brimstone in Fire. The original design by Dondi Bunye, is literally the alchemical symbol for brimstone (sulfur) : within the alchemical symbol for fire. Below is the first attempt at the design, which I find quite crude in hindsight. The orientation of the letters is also Don’s idea, […]
Untitled
Oil on canvas 28 x 24’’ 2004 This painting was created for a local metal band’s album cover. The image on the left was the original concept, however it never went past this underpainting stage because a better idea came to mind. The female figure is a representation of the Biblical Eve after the “Fall” […]
Implanting the Mythos
Though created back in 2004, this work is the cover of the 4th issue of arguably the Philippines’ most reputable metal zine: In Dark Purity. Though the gist of my rationale remains unwavering, back at that time I overlooked the possibility of Cultural Assimilation: “The process whereby a minority group gradually adapts to the customs and […]
Archistratege
Oil on canvas 18 x 24’’ 2010 Please click on the images for a larger view. This painting started out as a commissioned piece for a local metal magazine cover, with the ad nauseam theme “Women in Metal”. In spite of my virtually misogynistic views on the subject, I approached the whole project tongue-in-cheek, and […]