“Painting for a cause” — a total of 70 portraits are now on display at the Cebu City Museum and at the lobby of Chong Hua Hospital and Cancer Center in Mandaue City. The paintings done by Cebuano artists are being sold at discounted rates to urgently raise funds for two members of the Portrait Artists’ Society of the Philippines Inc. (PASPI) who are in need of medical help.
Is there anything more beautiful than a canvas filled with hues and shapes, which with just one glance, one would simply want to take home and hang on the wall?
“There is,” Efren Enolva said.
“A painting is more beautiful when it becomes more than just a display. An art is more beautiful when it has purpose and significance,” he added.
The Portrait Artists’ Society of the Philippines, Inc. (PASPI), headed by Enolva, knows this for sure, as it is currently holding two ‘Painting for a Cause’ events.
With more than 70 portraits displayed at the Cebu City Museum in Osmena Blvd, Cebu City and in Chong Hua Hospital and Cancer Center in Mandaue City, PASPI aims to raise funds for two Cebuano painters who are in need.
The prices of all the paintings have been significantly reduced to attract more buyers. In fact, some artists who joined the exhibit marked down their prices by as much as 80 percent off their original costs.
The earnings of the exhibit will go to a fellow artist who has been diagnosed with a severe illness.
“Nakita man gyud namo mismo ang situation niya ug sa iyang pamilya. So among gikwenta-kwenta ang ilang kinahanglanon within six months (We saw his situation and of his family. So, we calculated the amount they would need within six months),” Enolva said, noting that PASPI hopes to raise at least P120,000 before the Cebu City Museum exhibit ends on August 12.
The beneficiary, who Enolva revealed plays an important role in the organization, said he feels grateful that the members of PASPI are creating events to help fellow artists in times of distress.
“Dako kaayo ko og utang kabubut-on. Medyo naglisod gyud ko karon busa mapasalamaton gyud ko nila sa ilang gibuhat, (I have a huge debt of gratitude to them. I am currently struggling that’s why I am thankful for what they are doing for me),” says the father of six children. The artist asked not to be named.
PASPI is also extending help to another member who had just met an accident earlier this month. The painters’ group, along with the Cebu Artists, Inc., opened up an exhibit in Chong Hua Hospital Mandaue on Thursday.
Part of the proceeds will go to the artist who is currently in the hospital after he was badly injured in a motorcycle accident.
The Chong Hua Hospital exhibit will end on July 28.
“Kami sa among grupo, daghan gyud ang nanginahanglan. Puro man mi pud mga ordinaryong tawo nga naa puy mga kalisdanan (In our group, many are really in need. We are all ordinary people who experience hardships),” Enolva said.
Masterpieces on sale
More than half pf PASPI’s 30 members contributed their works for the two fundraising events.
In the museum exhibit, at least 20 paintings have been displayed at the center of a room; while more than 50 paintings are exhibited at the Chong Hua hospital lobby.
According to Enolva, he did not have a hard time convincing the artists to join the fundraisers.
“Natandog gyud ang among mga kasingkasing sa mga nahitabo sa among mga kauban maong wala gyud mi nagduha-duha (Our hearts were touched by the situation of our colleagues, so we didn’t think twice).”
Enolva’s own portrait, Mother and Son, is on-sale at the museum. Mother and Son is a depiction of a mother’s love as the woman on the portrait breastfeeds her son. It is sold at P20,000.
Lunch Break, created by artist Boy Briones, is also displayed. Using oil paints, Briones’ work shows a family of five eating a simple lunch under the shade of a tree in a farm. It is sold at P10,000.
The cheapest-priced painting in the exhibit is Joan Florido’s Sunflower. Priced at P3,700, Florido’s watercolor painting shows a blossoming sunflower on a blue background.
Another masterpiece, Sirao, is also a head-turner in the museum. Painted by Jess Navarro, Sirao is a close-to-reality representation of the mountain barangay’s famed flower farm. Navarro is selling the masterpiece at P10,000.
The most expensive painting exhibited in the museum is Jose Mari Picornell’s Life’s Struggle. Picornell painted a man on a ”tartanilla” — a representation of the country’s old transportation system. The artwork, worth P40,000, is 37 by 31 inches big.
Maxcell Migallos, Carly Florido, Luther Galicano and many other renowned Cebuano painters have also given their works for the cause.
“Maayo gyud kay nisugot atong mga painters na i-mark down ang ilang mga gihimo kay ang tumong man gyud nato ani nga event is to earn as fast as we can para mahatag dayon nato sa beneficiaries (It’s really great that our painters agreed to mark down their works because our goal for this event is to earn as fast as we can so the earnings will be immediately given to the beneficiaries),” Enolva said.
As of July 22, more than 15 paintings have already been sold in both exhibit venues.
Cebu City Museum administrator, Bryner Diaz, said he has seen the passion of PASPI members to not just paint, but to help fellow artists.
“Mao nang nisugot gyud dayon mi when PASPI asked us na diri sa museum i-hold ilang exhibit (That is why we immediately agreed when PASPI asked us that they wanted to hold the exhibit in the museum),” Diaz said.
He added that the museum also values the contributions of PASPI in Cebu’s art scene and in the promotion of the museum itself.
PASPI’s exhibit, according to Diaz, is also a way to encourage Cebuanos to visit the museum and to appreciate the beauty of paintings and arts.
The use of the exhibit room in the museum is free of charge, Diaz emphasized, noting that PASPI and all other art organizations and individual artists are always welcome to stage their events there.
“Tanan nga halin sa mga exhibits diri, dili gyud na pangayoon sa museum. Sa tag-iya na sa exhibit tanan. With this, unta mas madani pa ang ubang mga talented Cebuano artists na moari sa museum ug mag-exhibit (The museum will not ask for a part of the proceeds of the exhibits held here. All earnings will go to the owners. With this, we really hope that more talented Cebuano artists will be encouraged to come here and exhibit their works),” Diaz said.
Acknowledging that there are young Cebuano painters waiting to be discovered, both Enolva and Diaz expressed hope that the youth will put genuine love into the arts and use their passion to also serve others.
“Ang usa ka painting dili lang dapat painting ra. Dapat naa nay pulos, naay ma-contribute sa laing tawo (A painting should not be just a painting. It should have a purpose. It should contribute something to other people),” Enolva said.