Lhee Taneo’s love for seashell mosaic

It was probably a surprise self-discovery. Or maybe it was the sincere will to give back to the community that has molded her to the person that she is.

Whatever it was that pushed Lhee Taneo to explore the art of seashell mosaic, she is nothing but a proud and grateful rising Cebuana artist.

Born on the island of Olango, off the coast of Mactan Island, Lhee grew up playing on its serene and scenic coastline picking up seashells with neighbors.

But aside from playing around, Lhee also showed the budding artist in her when she was in grade school. Her first masterpieces were her school projects.

Lhee confessed that sketching is her comfort zone, which was part of the reason she decided to try Fine Arts in the University of the Philippines Cebu.

“Mas anad g’yud ko sa pag-sketch or pag-draw. Mao akong hilig g’yud. Medyo lisoran man gud ko mag-mix og colors kay limited ra akong knowledge sa colors (I am really used to sketching or drawing. It’s what I am really comfortable doing. Because I find it a little hard to mix colors due to limited knowledge of the different hues and combinations),” said Lhee.

But Lhee was forced to step out of the box she had enclosed herself into after her thesis professor rejected her first research output.

Lhee narrated that her professor felt that her sketches were very distant from who she really was. There were gaps and walls between her and her art, the professor said.

“I even tried sculpture. But my teacher told me that he couldn’t see my persona in my works. He told me go somewhere and think about who I am as an artist and as a person,” Lhee said.

It was when she went back to Olango that she thought of bringing the shell industry of the island of her youth into the limelight.

“We moved out of Olango when I was in high school. So when I came back there to unwind, the idea of making seashells as part of my art was born. It was there that I discovered that the seashells can actually be made into something greater,” she revealed.

So at age of 20, Lhee tried to venture into an art she barely knew but was eager to learn and perfect.

The birth of an artist

Lhee gathered thousands of seashells, mostly of white, black and brown tones, from the shell craft shops on Olango Island.

She manually separated them by colors and sizes, a task she jokingly said took longer time than the mosaic itself.

Before gluing the seashells into a wood frame, Lhee drew the image through a pencil and then painted it with the colors similar to the seashells she would be using.

“That will serve as my guide aron mas sayon ang pagbutang sa mga shells. Ug makatabang pud sya nga molutaw ang colors, dili ang color sa plywood ang makita (That will serve as my guide so it’s easier to put the shells. It also helps to emphasize the colors of the image and not the color of the plywood),” the young artist revealed.

Lhee added that putting the seashells into the hardboard required maximum focus as one needed to follow the pattern and shape of the seashells to create “smooth” and “flowing”” pieces of art.

According to Lhee, it would usually take her three weeks to a month to finish one art piece, mainly depending on the size of the frame.

Lhee’s first seashell mosaic was a portrait of her younger sister. And it gave way to her first ever solo exhibit. Yes, at the age of 20. Just 20.

On her way up

Lhee staged her first solo exhibit at the Bluewater Maribago Resort in Lapu-Lapu City in 2013.

It was part of the thesis requirement. But the fact that a young artist, still as student at that, like her was given the chance to hold a solo exhibit at the resort was enough proof of the enormous talent she has.

“It was very nerve-wracking. It was my first exhibit and I had to produce at least 10 art pieces. Na-overwhelm g’yud ko sa trust sa resort ug sa akong teacher that they allowed me to do such exhibit. And the venue was free of charge. Grabe g’yud to na blessing (I was overwhelmed by the trust that the resort and my teacher was giving to do such exhibit),” said Lhee, whose eyes still lit up as she reminisced how one of her seashell mosaic was bought by none other than Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza.

Mayor Radaza bought a portrait of a smiling Olango fisherfolk.

“She was probably impressed with the cheerful smile of the subject. I want to create mosaics that tell stories. But I don’t want to explain to people about it. I want them to give their own interpretations. Because that’s art for me — it gives you freedom to see and define things,” Lhee said.

After the exhibit, Lhee has been contacted to do several portraits by the people who got impressed with her creative hands. One person even asked her to do a mosaic of the Star Wars characters.

She also produced mosaics of Cebuano hero Lapu-Lapu, Kadaugan sa Mactan, Birhen sa Regla and about 30 more artworks.

Just recently, Lhee, now 24, held her second solo exhibit and sold some of her art pieces.

Lhee loves doing portrait mosaics — the ones that depict emotions and depth of character. And it’s just breathtaking to see how the seashells — something people usually disregard — perfectly bring out an almost tangible passion.

All thanks to Lhee and her beautiful mind and heart.

Passion

But as passionate as she is, Lhee also acknowledges that being an artist is an unstable source of living. Lhee also serves as an art instructor of senior high school students in one of the universities in Cebu City. She also gives art tutorials to those eager to learn the craft.

Lhee, however, vows to continue doing seashell mosaics. Despite the occasional “art blocks” and unprecedented attacks of inferior complex, Lhee is determined to make a name in the creative industry and highlight the beauty of her island through her art.

“There really are times when I don’t want to do anything, be it a sketch or a mosaic. There are times when I feel down thinking that other artists out there are just so good and I still have a long way to go. But these feelings are fleeting. When I feel okay again, I go back to doing what I love doing,” Lhee said in Cebuano.

The seashell mosaic may still be uncommon in the art scene, especially in Cebu. But Lhee, the small but determined soul whose heart beats for art, is a solid proof that this art will soon get the acclamation it genuinely deserves.

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