Romeo Lee & the empty table of refreshments.

The roster of artists currently on display at West Gallery is infinitely interesting. Veering away from the typical four-show format, there were five solo exhibitions on display, with one show leaking out of Gallery two into the open space by the food. On Thursday, I experienced everything from talent envy to hoarse voice syndrome, having had to shout at Iris (sorry, Iris!) because of the music from Romeo Lee’s exhibit courtesy of one Jay Taruc.

I hadn’t been out to view exhibits in a while, but on that day, I remembered how fun it was to just mill around and talk to people, to look around and munch on free food—and drink alcoholic beverages your parents bought for other people.

Annie Cabigting’s Dietro Mona Lisa

Two paintings of the backs of the famed Mona Lisa, echoing works that I most know from Annie Cabigting. I’m a big fan of her “back portraits,” where she paints the backs of people who are looking for things. Nothing much else to say about this show that’s not already apparent from the photographs, but I do like it because it’s cheeky, well-rendered, and isn’t a great departure from the works of hers that had been familiar to me.

The history geek in me loves the idea of speculations of two Mona Lisas (which explains the two works), and I love that she painted both.

Sarah Geneblazo’s Escape

Click for photos of the rest of the exhibits

Heima’s paper display during Southern Stories. LC-A+ (wide lens attachment), Fuji Provia 100.

A few snapshots from April. I have lost all focus-knowledge of my LC-A+. I don’t know what happened, but I hope it just has to do with the ASA of the film. I need to stop overestimating the capacity of 100 ASA film. Anyway, here’s a bit of my April for you.

Sarie, looking at Charles Buenconsejo’s exhibit.

Isabel.

Summer Madeline.

Tito Simon, Iniko Matteo, papa.

Bono, the pug.

MRT, women’s compartment.

Nolita, Bonifacio High Street.

Church.

Carabao skull, on loan from Tita Emmy.

I don’t remember cross-processed Provia being so green! I don’t think I’ll be using this again unless I go on sunny trips to the beach or a different (bright!) city.

I’m tired of the blurriness of my LC-A+. I don’t know why I can’t get the hang of it. I think I need to have real practice. Or else, I just miss the manual SLRs that I used to use. I loaded the LC-A+ with an expired roll of black-and-white film that I’d been saving since high school. Hopefully they turn out okay.

The past few weeks have been busy and even though sometimes I feel like I haven’t been doing enough, a review of events—I’d like to think—proves otherwise. So far, April has seen two art-related things, 16×16, which was for Young Star’s 16th birthday and a fundraising for Outerhope organized by Blanc Gallery.

For Young Star, 8 visual artists collaborated with 8 photographers, working on 16×16 canvases. I was partnered with Hannah Reyes, who is one of the most talented (and sunny!) people I know. It was such a great experience for the both of us and I think our styles worked really well together. Primer, a sponsor of the event, even chose our piece, “Keeping Things Whole,” as their favorite. :)

We decided to name our piece after a poem by Mark Strand called “Keeping Things Whole.” Hannah’s photos were mostly from her travels around the Philippines. Here’s the poem:

Keeping Things Whole
Mark Strand

In a field
I am the absence
of field.
This is
always the case.
Wherever I am
I am what is missing.

When I walk
I part the air
and always
the air moves in
to fill the spaces
where my body’s been.

We all have reasons
for moving.
I move
to keep things whole.

Stole some more pictures from the event, but click here for the rest of the album by Young Star.

Sarie, Joey, Martin, Becca, me and Tim.

Sarie, Therese, Nice, Joey, Leloy, Martin, Becca, me and my brother, Luis.

I didn’t get to go to the fundraising night for Outerhope, but you can see the piece I made by clicking here. I hope my contribution helped them, even a little bit, though I have no news if it did.

On to the exciting part (as if these things weren’t enough)! Two great things are coming up this May. My friend Zoe has been working her butt off for Lightbombs Contemporary and has kindly invited me as one of the artists she wants to represent in Hong Kong. This May, Lightbombs is going to be part of Art East Island, which occurs parallel to Art HK, the International Hong Kong Art Fair.

I’ll be showing a few pieces along with Zeus Bascon, Michael De Feo, Jed Escueta, Dex Fernandez, Dan Findlay, David Griggs, Jonathan Jay Lee, Maya Muñoz, Christina Quisumbing Ramilo, Marc Standing and Pancho Villanueva. If you’re interested, here are some more details!

I’m so excited because I’ll be able to catch the art fair this year. The day after we get back, another group show will open! Through The Looking Glass: Jose Rizal opens on the 26th of May at Manila Contemporary.

I’ll be showing alongside Jacob Lindo! Who is extremely talented, and towards whom I feel talent envy. If you recall, I fangirled like a lunatic over his solo show at our gallery a couple of months back. He is amazing, and I am both excited and scared (that I’ll make crap!) but I’m really thankful that I’ll be a part of this show.

Things are falling into place (I think). I have a couple more news but I’ll save those for another entry. Once these things have taken a more discernible shape. Sometimes, I feel listless and down, but then when I sit down and think about my life, really think about it, I find that there are tons of things that are worth working hard for.

There has been an influx of babies in my family for the last year or so. I’ve had only one nephew, Jaime Alfonso, for five years before the other babies started pouring in. There was Iniko Matteo born last April, Summer Madeline born at the very end of December, and Ethan Joseph just this February. I had my last full roll developed, and in between random photos at the grocery, I found pictures of some of my favorite people to see these days.

Most are blurry—my estimation has regressed once again—but I think I’d like to keep these special moments, anyway. All photos taken with Lomography CN 100, which I imagine would look better with a lot of light.

Iniko Matteo in his new Audi~

When I got to my brother’s room, I found Jaime reclining on the bed—a usual spot for him when he’s not in school. We got him to be still enough for a few shots.

Summer Madeline with blur!Papa.

A week ago, I noticed a large number of traffic to my portfolio, http://carina-santos.com, coming from one James Templeton. At that point, he had only a splash page and a banner announcing that his site was still underconstruction, but permalinks to specific pages brought to my attention that this dude was ripping off my layout.

Lo & behold, when I checked back a few days later, his new website was up.

Which is cool and all. Except it’s pretty much an exact copy of mine:

The grids and the code were the same. The navigation was the same, it was the same even down to the colors, and the sidebar information. Continue reading On Design Copycats…

I tried to keep them small things this time.

• Read 7 books. Cut down the amount drastically, because I never reach the original reading goals I’ve set anyway.
• Clean out closet or my side of the room. One or the other, because I don’t think I can do both.
• Update resume. I think I need a letterhead.
• Make business card. Because it’s kind of embarrassing that I still don’t have one.
• Earn at least (privately disclosed amount). Steps toward my end-of-the-year goal.
• Figure out specifications for Codeword: White. Scary deadlines approaching!
• Finally sort out mail that’s going out. Because it’s just gross that I still haven’t.
• Retrieve cameras from repair shop.
• Watercolor once a week! So I can get better at it. I forced my dad to teach me, see.
• Write (an outline of) a short story. Just because I think I need to do it now, or else I might forget how to.

For real now. I think sometimes I forget that I am twenty-three, have been done with college for over two years, and am trying to carve out a decent life for myself. If I remembered that more often, maybe I would quit living like it’s summer vacation for me, too.

Anyway, fingers crossed. I’m going to get rid of all of these lazy bones and follow through this time.