Mothering Heights

The grace to be a beginner is always the best prayer for an artist.
– Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way

I write this in a rush. In less than an hour, my three-year-old daughter’s footfall will resound on the corridors and her palm will bang on the door. She will shout, “Mommy!”

The word Mommy defines me two-thirds of the waking day; the other third I spend trying to deserve it. I worry: Did I love enough? And then chide myself for raising the bar too high. I think: There is no bar. And hope that my heart will listen. Why are mothers ridden with guilt in the midst of so much bliss and affection?

I write to make sense of this emotional pendulum. Nothing provokes our extremes like our children: we exult in a burp, agonize over a cold, celebrate every first, battle over food, turn from Mom to Momster and back. Rinse and repeat. Almost every day is manic Momday.

I write because mothering is charged with loves, hates and raptures too big for thought and too fast for the heart. Writing
connects me to parts of myself engulfed by deadlines or harassed by the day’s cares. I look for words to shape thoughts, so that each day falls into place, sometimes painfully, sometimes joyously. Like all mothers, I am a fractal art—color geometrics that are difficult to pin down, irregular but harmonious, a mix of order and chaos, creative, requiring effort and intelligence, and mostly better appreciated from a distance.

I need words to find me. For smothered under motherhood are other roles, goals and hopes that shape me: daughter, lover, dreamer, artist, sister, friend. I write to understand, sometimes accept, that Mommy is not so much a designation as it is an endearment.

I write to find the grace to be a beginner every day and the grace to thank or forgive myself at its end. To understand that all mothers go through the ordinary madness of mothering—what the writer Judith Schwartz calls the “map of ambivalence,” how a mother’s heart can hold many antithetical emotions in chorus.

I write—a solitary act—because while we have books, websites, support groups, family and friends to help us, we in the end navigate motherhood alone.

A friend said that I enjoy motherhood. Enjoy is not quite the word, I think—it is too limited. I prefer the word my husband used:  awe—the reverential respect mixed with fear and wonder. Awe at the revelations and riddles in a child. But more importantly write because I fear, question and wonder at the revelations and riddles that I discover in me.

I write about my family in the journal I keep for my daughter Anna. What an ordinary life we lead. Our days revolve around the commonplace, peaking at her delight in finding a stray puzzle piece behind the potted plant. Nothing pivotal or portentous, but this is our story. Thank you, Gustave Flaubert—what you said centuries ago made me realize that ours is a tale to be told: “One should write of ordinary life as if one were writing history.”

In writing about motherhood, I find the extraordinary in the ordinary.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Janet Villa practiced Law for nine years before she received a fellowship to the Philippine National Writers' Workshop and to the UP National Workshop. Her first published sotry "Undercurrents" won the NVM Grand Prize in 2003, and her sond "Closopen" won the NVM Grand Prize Special Prize in 2005. She is now finishing her MA in Creative Writing. Her biggest adventure is being best for husband Jojo and daughter Anna, while pursuing her passions in writing and teaching. Janet maintains CreW, the creating writing special interest group of Mensa Philippines after being the Mensa Philippines president in 1998.

Eggs & Hot Dog Pancake Muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups of Bisquick
2 eggs
1 ¼ sugar
1 can fat – free evaporated milk
1 package (8oz) softened cream cheese
4 pcs of Smart Dogs® (it can be substituted)
4 eggs (to make scrambled eggs)
Maple Pancake Syrup
Directions:
1.    Preheat oven to 350F.
2.    Grease 12 muffin molds.
3.    Cook your scrambled eggs (should be soft & moist). Divide it into 12 & set aside.
4.    Slice your hot dogs in 3 parts per hot dog  & set aside as well.
5.    Mix  Bisquick, sugar, eggs, cream cheese and milk in a large bowl with a whisk. It's okay to have some remaining lumps.
6.    Pour batter about 1/2 full into each muffin mold.
7.    Place 1 hot dog slice & scrambled eggs on top of batter for each muffin mold.
8.    Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
This recipe is SO easy, and my whole family LOVED them especially drizzled with the maple pancake syrup!! !

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Ruth D. Ezra is a culinary queen in her own right through experience and training. She is a bookkeeper by profession at AllState Roadside Services in Northbrook, IL.  Her greatest delight is serving good and healthy food to her husband Heman and only daughter, Isabelle. Kit would love to receive feedback on her recipes, and exchange them with yours at ezraruth@comcast.net.

WRITE FROM THE HEART
By Marivir R. Montebon

Welcome to OSM! Janet Villa and Diane Fermin Roeder!

To have somebody as deep but easy as Janet Villa as a writer is truly exhilarating. OSM! is honored to have her. Mothering Heights is OSM's latest section, and we will travel digitally, reflecting into our lives through Janet's mothering experiences as we relate or affirm them with our own.
In one of our exchanges in private message, I told Janet, yes, mothering is scary. But it makes us who we are, most of the time.  I remember how I dreaded the thought while staring at my newborn daughter in her crib that this was now my real womb to tomb responsibility. As the days turned into years, mothering has always been a mix of joys and horrors.
OSM! shines further with the classy and vibrant Diane Fermin Roeder as our fashion and marketing guru. She debuts her Bamboo Stiletto for us with a keen fashionista eye on the Olympics 2012 uniforms of the athletes. It is an honor to have you with OSM!, Diane.  Thank you, Ms. Bessie Salomon for bridging OSM! to wonderful people.

We feature in our cover today an awesome person, a Judge and Poet rolled into one. Finally, we have an awesome man for OSM! It was difficult enough finding one, an awesome male subject, as I told Digital and Content Editor Leani Auxilio.He definitely writes from the heart. And so does Janet and Diane, and everyone else who are able to glue my eyes into their copies.

I love how Judge and Poet Simeon Dumdum Jr. puts it, "whether one becomes a celebrated writer or not is for the future to decide. Art makes one rich, not materially but spiritually."

Indeed, great writing comes from the heart.  It is spirited and sincere.  Each topic is a solid eruption from the heart, that did not happen in one magnificent touch of a wand, but of the writer's complex mix of joy, salvation, angst, sincerity, contradictions, and finally, confidence. Each written piece is a result of the revolting emotions and truths. Writing, like birthing, is never easy. Once it is finished, the writer feels she has given birth again, one more time.

Let me close with a poem by Judge Dumdum, which I print with his permission.

The First To Love

Always she is a step ahead.
When I think of giving her flowers,
She waylays me with wine-red roses.
And if I get up in the morning,
Pulled out of bed by the idea
Of a long walk across the fields,
She would be there, lacing her shoes,
The coffee, which was on my mind,
Filling up the room with its presence.
But one day, when there was a downpour,
I made sure I would be the first
To suggest that we have a race
In the rain, but she turned me down,
And I saw in her smile that we
Were too old for such recklessness.
But that afternoon, the sun blazed,
And she asked what just then had crossed
My mind, that we both go outside.
The road was a patchwork of water.
I wanted to help her across
A rain puddle, forgetting that
Her legs were longer than mine.

For details and orders, visit healthychocolatenyc.com

RE-WIRE YOUR BRAIN

BY DEBBIE ALMOCERA

A friend of mine once told me that when she got depressed, her mother told her to “find a husband”, and she would feel better. Two husbands and two divorces later, she finds herself in the same predicament.  She finally sought professional help, and reported feeling better.  She is living a single life, with a great career, and a disappointed mother.
The field of mental health not only introduced me to diverse tools in psychotherapy in treating depression and anxiety, but it also broadened my understanding of the impact of psychopharmacology on these disorders.  I have become a strong advocate of psychiatric medications, and have consistently encouraged medication compliance among my clients.  Explaining to clients that mental illness is not a mythical issue, nor a punitive consequence of one’s perceived degree of “sinfulness”, is quite a challenging task at times.  It never ceases to amaze me when people ask me if they are depressed because they are “weak in spirit”, flawed in character, and/or being “punished” for their “sins”.  These views not only reflect the antiquated stigma of mental illness that is still prevalent in our times, no matter how many “iPods” and state-of-the-art cell phones we have in our possession, they also reflect our lack of understanding of the organ that primarily dictates how we see ourselves and the world around us –the brain.
This 3-lb mushy mass, inside our skulls has 100 billion neurons that could each fire an average of 200 impulses per second.  Each electrochemical impulse, also known as a neurotransmitter, fired by a neural axon and received by another neuron through its dendrites carries a “message” transmitted from our senses to the brain. These neural connections establish the brains ability to process and interpret information.  A “breakdown” in these connections could trigger “misinformation”, and mood disturbances, among others.  Just like any other vital organ, the brain is not infallible and can malfunction for various reasons, affecting how we feel, think and act.  Although capable of seemingly-endless phenomenal things, when afflicted by mental illness, the brain needs help.
The good old-fashioned belief, that mental illness can be addressed by simply telling the individual to “straighten up your act and buck up”, is reinforcing the stigma of mental illness.  We can only truly achieve a significant milestone in medical history when we start to correct our own misconception of mental health and mental illness, and take care of our brains by addressing issues of mental illness as medical problems.  As I always tell my clients, if they have problems with their hearts, they would be first in line to see a heart doctor.  However, when they have problems with mood and thought distortions, they hesitate to seek help for fear of social alienation.
Spit It Out or Pop It In
Talk your problems out with your therapist, or your doctor.  In view of the biochemical nature of mental illness, talking may not cut it.  Ask your doctor for a possible medication regimen, and stay compliant.  Don’t stop taking your medications as soon as you feel better, for this could have dire consequences.
I practice and utilize cognitive and behavioral approaches to therapy.   Cognitive approaches examine one’s own personal belief systems that could be contributing to one’s dysfunction and misery.  Erroneous personal belief systems trigger depression and anxiety, and frequently lead to conflict in our relationships.  When left unchallenged, they become our reality and we believe them to be true.
Behavioral approaches are simply what I refer to as “movement approaches”.  As you move your body, your senses move with you.  The more your senses are activated, the more the brain is stimulated.  Chances are you will start to feel better as you keep moving.  So get your gluteus maximus off the couch, and start walking, jogging, or dancing.  Practice a healthy and an active lifestyle and make it a habit.
A recent article by Dr. Ambardar, cited by the Mental Health Association of Eastern Missouri, (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sheenie-ambardar-md/emotional-health_b_1542521.html), talked about addressing depression and anxiety without medications.  I found this article very amusing but couldn’t help but agree with the good doctor.  Being a Psychiatrist, she does prescribe psychotropic medications.  First on the list to manage symptoms of depression and anxiety is to SPEND LESS TIME ON FACEBOOK.  To quote:

When Facebook is used as a casual tool to keep in touch with friends or stay in the social loop, it can be a useful distraction. However, when Facebook is used to keep constant tabs on others or to promote a certain self-image, it can lead to an unconscious need to compare ourselves to everyone in our social network. This frequently leads to jealousy, insecurity, misplaced feelings of superiority or alternatively, feelings of inadequacy. Limiting time on ubiquitous social media sites like Facebook may be hard at first, but it may be one of the best things you do for your mental health."

How’s that for treatment!

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Debbie Almocera is a licensed therapist working in the behavioral medicine department of one of the largest hospitals in St. Louis, Missouri. For her, there has not been a more fulfilling and rewarding career than the one she has now. She can be reached at dholderle@yahoo.com

2012 OLYMPICS EYE CANDY: Opening Ceremony Outfits We “Heart”

By Diane Fermin Roeder

We tried our darnedest to stay up to watch the live broadcast of the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony in London on TV. Epic fail...we dozed off at 2am and instead, woke up at 7:30am.

Seeing as the live broadcast started at 4am, we initially missed the entire thing but thankfully, China still has vestiges of an Olympics hang-over after hosting it in 2008 so CCTV (state-owned national TV) is currently providing wall-to-wall coverage. They replayed the entire Opening Ceremony which made for a convenient and fun Saturday morning while I simultaneously stayed in bed and ordered a room service  breakfast (Herr Hubby and I are still making the Four Seasons Guangzhou our temporary home).

The Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing was a tough act to follow...I still remember getting goosebumps from that show, a truly amazing feat by Chinese film director Zhang Yimou. Well, in opening this London Olympics, I think British film director Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire", "The Beach", "Trainspotting") did a stupendous job; to quote the BBC's most over-used words this morning, the Opening Ceremony was indeed "remarkable" and "extraordinary".  Although, personally, I would have been happy with a little bit more of David Beckham. I mean, this is the Olympics - we love seeing successful, stylish, impeccably groomed godlike athletes in tight, shiny suits, don't we?

One thing which has become sort of a delicious Bamboo Stiletto ritual during the Games' opening is watching the Parade of Athletes to check out the various teams' outfits. For us, this segment of the Opening is like an international fashion show of multi-cultural style, modeled by a global assortment of eye candy, all in glistening peak physical condition. What's not to "heart"? So....let the Games begin!

Here's our Top 5 Picks for Most Stylish Teams (in no particular order or ranking):

1.) Denmark

 

One of the few teams that did separate but beautifully coordinating outfits for ladies and gentlemen, I especially loved how Team Denmark made their female athletes look so feminine. Beside the ladies, the gentlemen looked even more dashing and masculine in their navy blue-grey suits.

 2.) Serbia



Team Serbia also had separate yet coordinating his and hers outfits, which they kept casual chic and cool. Dontcha love the girls' perky blazer & shorts combo???Tennis champ and Serbian flag bearer, Novak Djokovic, wore his shirt carelessly untucked underneath his red pullover and, coupled with a rebellious stubble, was a statement in studied nonchalance.
3.) Netherlands

 

oh, how the Dutch and I swear only the Dutch can pull off wearing orange trousers. Not only does Team Netherlands pull off the orange pants but when paired with their cobalt blue trench-style blazers and preppy white tennis cardigans, they looked downright poppin'! As an aside, I remember that this team was also on my most stylish list during the 2008 Olympics. Pale dove grey blazers and trousers paired with the most adorable orange ties, again which only the Dutch can pull off...

Get a load of the Dutch when they unveiled their Olympic uniforms a few weeks ago - won't you love a bite of that orange trench? This is stuff that we actually do want to wear!

Dutch treat!

4.) Sweden

 

Team Sweden's ebullient candy-striped sweaters just spelled adorable. Especially when paired with the ladies' pleated minis. Very United Colours of Benetton. Note the colour coordinated kicks & laces...how Scandi-cute is that?

5.) South Korea



Natty nautical-inspired outfits from sportswear giant FILA who was responsible for South Korea's look (four on the left were Opening Ceremony ensembles). Too bad we have no actual photo during the Opening Ceremony...Team SK looked so dang cute!!!

Special Mentions - for looking extra-stylin' and/or festive as befitting the Olympics (again, in no particular order or ranking):

1.) France

 

aah, the French never fail to live up to our style expectations. I mean, how GOOD do these athletes look? We especially have a weakness for their tennis players. And spot the cute little red ballet flats on the ladies? We HEART!

Btw, Team France really set the bar high for Olympic uniforms, unveiling these minimally stylish threads by Adidas a few weeks ago:

Voulezvous...?

2.) USA

 

I thought Team USA worked it! Yes, yes, I know we're not quite sure if the beret works...the French can carry a beret with requisite elan but Americans seem a bit ambivalent about it. Also, yes, we're aware of the huge hoo-ha in the US upon realizing that these Ralph Lauren outfits were actually made in China. But hey, weren't the Ralph Lauren uniforms back in Olympics 2008 - which also looked super stylin', btw - also made in China? Where was the hoo-ha back then???oh Americans & the drama :-)

When Team USA unveiled their uniforms, the Ralph Lauren/"Gossip Girl" Manhattan Upper East prep chic look is pitch perfect:



Team USA's controversial Olympics uniforms, by Ralph Lauren. Regardless of where it's produced, in my mind, what makes it look vaguely non-American are the French-style berets, with the red, white & blue stripe on the side. I have a Lacoste beret exactly like this, with the little alligator on the side in red, white & blue stripes! Perhaps a "newsie" cap would have been more American, more New York anyhow...


Bass. Chuck Bass.

3.) Germany

 

What a delightful festive surprise, Team Germany! Keeping flag colours to a minimum (accents only on trilbys) & instead rocking pastel pinks and cornflower blues, with darling matching scarves, was so un-German & so unexpected...we LOVED it. Btw, this team seemed to be one of the rowdiest & most boisterous (one girl clambered on top of a guy's shoulders) that for a second I thought the Australians had paraded again! haha!

4.) Brazil

There's something about the Brazilians that just make us smile and chortle. They're just yummy-delicious! Team Brazil wore their colours in exuberant combinations, with ladies in mini-skirts showing off tanned athletic legs (and why NOT?), matching scarves loose around their necks...meowrrrr! What is it about these people, they just look so friggin' SEKSI?!?!

5.) Paraguay

 

and speaking of SEKSI...like the Netherlands, Team Paraguay also came up with outfits that we would love to get our Stilettos in. Check out this va-va-voom wrap & tie fire engine-red dress! The gentlemen in their bright blue blazers, snowy white trousers & crimson ties looked natty too.

Expected More Stylin' From:
Italy

 

Admittedly, my expectations for Team Italy were MASSIVE, to begin with...I mean, their uniforms are designed by The Master himself, Giorgio Armani. Even the lowly deckhand staff working on this guy's personal yacht are nattily attired, as featured once in Vogue (or was that Vanity Fair?). Anyway, these were the uniforms he unveiled for Team Italy a few weeks ago...ok, very Armani. Very understated. But what are they wearing for the Opening?

 

...and here's Team Italy during the Opening Ceremony. Again, very understated. Stylish, yes.But VERY subdued. It's not terrible, of course not, you can see even from just a TV screen's perspective, these are exceptionally cut, extremely well-tailored suits. Just slightly underwhelming in terms of overall presentation. These are Italians, for goodness sakes, they're supposed to rule with cool! I just expected a bit more LapoElkann dash and flair, not the constipated investment banker look. Fashion critics everywhere are raving about Team Italy's look though.

Biggest "Huh?" Moment:
Great Britain

We expected a LOT from the host; Great Britain after all is the home of great,innovative, edgy designers, e.g. Stella McCartney, Christopher Bailey, Sarah Burton, to name a few. So when Team GB strolled out, we were like: "Huh?" Stella McCartney's PR people were quick to tweet during the Opening Ceremony that these white & gold tracksuits are NOT hers - she only designed the athletes' performance kits & village wear. Ouch! Apparently, these were done by British apparel retailer Next. Why in the world didn't they get Christopher Bailey to do the Opening Ceremony outfits? What's more cool Britannia than Burberry???

So, Stiletto-istas, that's a wrap for our coverage of Olympics Opening Ceremony fashion. Hope you enjoyed  it as much as we did! In closing, we leave you with a parting shot of the Olympic torch as carried by the tall cool drink of water that's David Beckham, who we think was woefully under-utilized by Danny Boyle:

 

THIS is how Team GB should have rocked, y'all!

Did YOU watch the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics in YOUR corner of the world? Which teams landed in YOUR Best Dressed and Worst Dressed List? Just some lighthearted fun this weekend, Stiletto-istas, let's hear it from YOU!!!

***photos from CCTV (Official China TV broadcaster for the Olympics) Adidas, Fila, Giorgio Armani, and Ralph Lauren (for the non-Olympic shots)

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Diane Fermin Roeder is a reformed marketing communications expert in the hospitality and financial service industries. She enjoys being an expat's wife and founding wordsmith of DFR+word.works, a consultancy specializing in content solutions and development for luxury hotels and resorts in China.  She carved a 15 year leadership career spanning the Philippines, Hong Kong, the US, and China, with an American MBA to boot. Diane suffers from an incurable addiction to killer stilettos. You may to The Bamboo Stiletto (personal blog)  http://bamboostiletto.wordpress.com and Follow tweets: https://twitter.com/bamboostiletto

The Essence of Life Through Charity Art

By Bisai Ya


What an exciting journey my humble online art café cum gallery has become. I was  so busy since it came about online on May 23, 2012. Exactly on our 42nd day in existencethe , bisai art café is now embarking on its second online echarity art auction to aid another cancer victim.

The first art auction held last May 25 to June 5th benefited a high school friend who is battling stage 4-breast cancer. In our current and second art auction outing,  we are assisting an eight-year-old girl who is fighting to survive leukemia, cancer of the blood.

Looking back, Charity wasn’t really where I’d like to position myself, as I do not possess excessive material wealth or cash that I could easily share to many people. However, my faith and creative talent, both in visual arts and marketing acumen collaborated to engage me in doing things and activities that eventually turned out to be useful for others whilst offering me personal growth and new experiences at life.

I had been in the marketing field in all of my expat life as an hotelier and marketing professional. The work skills and background over the 13 years of hard work has allowed me to look at establishing myself in the marketing industry where I thought I could put my talent and abilities to good use.

Since I fell victim to the economic recession in 2011 and lost my job, I thought it wise to look for a small but relatively controllable business I could easily manage given my background skills, talent and industry experience. I had finally set my heart on doing marketing services for a broad spectrum of clients mainly focusing on hospitality, tourism and the arts.

Having worked mainly in five star hotels and heavily exposed to business management in my previous role as hotel marketing manager, I have had opportunities to see which hotel department provides the most dynamic experience and profitability. My mom, who owns an optical clinic when dad was alive, usually tells us “one of the most profitable business you can have is anything that has to do with food. It's a win-win business if you know how to manage properly”. That statement never left my head till now.

Hence, the idea of running my own fun and homey Café etched on my head. I would often convince myself “My hands-on hotel knowledge is very valuable and this I can draw my confidence, zeal and focus.”

Meet ups with my chef friends followed thereafter allowing me to ask them for opinions, tips and suggestions. I even spoke to a hotel general manager to get a deeper insight in the business. One of the compelling advice I got from one of them was “create a niche café where you can easily stand out and be tops amongst the rest. Offer a unique service concept and great tasting food and they’ll come back for more.”

As I got home from that meeting, I sat down in my living area and looked at my paintings on the wall. I realized I haven’t been painting for quite some time now. I literally stopped painting at the time I was totally engrossed at office work.

Like a light bulb moment, I realized that my desire for café could be enhanced even more if I club my passion for the art. Emboldened with my passion I started picking up my brushes, paints and canvas. Did couple more paintings and hanged it on my wall to remind me that I should keep my art back alive if I surely wanted the café business to push through.

My paintings give me a feeling of inspiration. Art has awakened me from my deep slumber and has ignited me to do even more. I did several paintings and immersed myself out from my shell.

I returned to the art scene in Philippines slowly through networking with artist friends. I signed up to become a member for the professional artist group, the SEC registered Pinoy na Pinoy Visual Artists Association Inc. (PPVAAI) where I enrolled myself and my artist son to be active members.

It was from this group where I was able to network with fellow artists who share the same appetite for art. My membership in select art groups in facebook has allowed me to also learn more about arts for those like me are unschooled in art universities and had no formal training in art.

It was from these art groups where I was able to carry out my charity art auctions without fail from support by fellow artists who were too generous to donate excellent pieces so we could raise money for beneficiaries who has pressing need for financial support. It was from this experience that I saw a niche to be different.

Operating a business café with a lot of focus in promoting my passion for art and being able to help others through my charity art auctions is now formally conceived. Right now the café business is actively being pursued for setting up soon in Cebu, Philippines (my beloved home province). My family supports my dream for my bisai art café when I go home for good.

Meanwhile, whilst plans are still afoot in getting it operational, I am keeping myself pre-occupied in building the bisai art café brand through various art related initiatives that I do with fellow artists locally and international.

I built my own website to formally help market select art pieces of friends and initiate art networking events where we utilize the power of social media. With the emergence of social media and the impact it brings to our lifestyle nowadays, I know we can slowly build our bisai art café brand in the mindset of people, my audience, my so called market share.

Am so thankful that my exposure to many charity related initiatives has also allowed me to appreciate the beauty of my fellow human beings. I find it so amazing to be able to network with people you barely know and become their friends and share in their advocacies. All these are entwined because of one common denominator, our passion for ART.

I believe that the real essence of my life right now is being able to share the beauty of life through distributing of what is good and useful. There is so much self-fulfillment I derive when I am able to share my art, in many useful and creative ways. My ART has broadened my perspective of seeing the world in the eyes of a beholder. It allowed me to discover many wonderful ways to gather new experiences, only if I set my mind into something useful.

Fusing my dream café business with my love for ART has given me a clear vision of how to make the most money from a small commerce, understanding my profit forecast whilst indulging in my art passion and being able to help people using ART as my medium.

I never make money from any of my art auctions, my fees are 1000 percent on gratis and I usually end up spending for it myself, however, God has a way of rewarding me where my art is exposed to new would be art buyers, art enthusiasts and art collectors who later on decides to buy my humble pieces to add to their collection.

It is not so much about making money on my art, but making valuable experiences from my art that I would treasure forever. With bisai art café our mantra is … sense art … taste art … live art

Check the Save Little Lea from Leukemia - Online Charity Art Auction at www.bisaiartcafe.com Art pieces are auctioned and are posted for sale at: www.facebook.com/BisaiArtCafe.

CELSO PEPITO: POSITIVITY IN ART

By Marivir R. Montebon

Celso Duazo Pepito is known for crisp and clear lines in his works of art, and the bright color scheming. His masterpieces convey faith, love of country, and concern for the family, and in each rendition, there is a message of positivity and hope.

He has traveled extensively bringing his artistic craft with him to Singapore, Malaysia, Luxembourg and New York.  The latest project would be one in New York titled Cultural Confluence - IV, which will showcase the works of his wife Fe and artist Sonia Yrastorza at the Philippine Center in Manhattan in autumn this year, from September 24 to October 5.

Pepito is a graduate of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines Cebu College in 1981.  He has mastered Cubism in his years of visual artistry, but he has gone beyond himself in promoting the well-being of people through his art.   Excerpts from OSM! interview.

1. Before your New York gig in September, what has been your latest work exhibit?

After joining the 3rd series of "Kita: The Philippine/Indonesia Art Exchange" in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia on June 30-July 7, 2012, I had two exhibits.  The first show is a Two Man Show with Jet Florendo dubbed as FLORENDO AND PEPITO at The Gallery of Philippine Heart Center, Quezon City. Our theme for this show is focus on our "Personal Perception" about life in the Philippines; the second show is a three-man show with Antonio Alcoseba and Darby Vincent Alcoseba at Galeria Immanuel in Makati City entitled: VISUAL INSIGHTS. In this show we opted to tackle on our journey as artists, moving with flow of our own evolution as painters- leading us to a more free sense of our expression

2.  What do we expect to see in your New York exhibit at the Consulate?

In the CULTURAL CONFLUENCE-6 in New York on September 24 to October 5, 2012,  we are trying to manifest the culture in us as Filipinos, visually present them unto the kind of viewers in America, and hopefully, provide them the opportunity to appreciate our culture as Filipinos through our arts.  We find it a privilege to immerse ourselves with the rich American art and culture that can possibly strengthen our perception as Filipino artists.

3. Who is your mentor in visual arts?

I will always attribute it to the late Martino Abellana who has given me the opportunity to learn and understand the basic tenets in painting. My shift to another style is a product of the encouragement of my friends: Wenceslao "Tito" Cuevas, Jr. and Edgar Mojares.

4. What makes a painter like you prolific and accepted by the community?

In the early years of my practice as a painter, my concentration was to develop my artistic skills. I didn't care that much whether the public will appreciate or accept my kind of art. After painting for thirteen years in the direction of my teacher, I have finally realized that I have to embark on my own style that can provide me with my own identity as a painter.

In 1994, i have started to develop my brand of Cubism. It is in this style that I have found the true freedom in expressing myself. My encounter with the teachings of Opus Dei in the same year has also provided me the opportunity to understand my role as a painter, gave me a deeper meaning in what I do and finally provided me with a greater purpose in life. Believing that as a painter, I can contribute much in the development of my community.

Art should not only be limited to creating beautiful things but it must go beyond it, looking forward to contribute more in nation building. It is perhaps in doing something for my community that the people have started to appreciate my art. With such kind of appreciation, I came to understand that I have the greater responsibility to do more in the spirit of helping my community into a more responsive one.

5. Is competition tough? How do you survive?

I have always considered my colleagues in the arts as inspiration rather than competitors. When I see good art, it keeps me going, it enables me to create more. Making an extra mile in what I do, simply manifesting my own aspirations as a person, or perhaps, trying to be different from the others, are ingredients that keep me alive in my artistic journey.

6. How can an artist survive using this God-given talent without being compromise to commercialism? Or be killed by commercialism?

Any artist who has the passion to do his thing can surely survive his art. But surviving is not the sole purpose of painting. To contribute for something different is even more noble than personal recognition. Expressing one's personal sentiments and observation makes him more unique, therefore very difficult to be followed or commercialized, this is so, because the product of his creativity is based on his own personal opinion.

7. What is your distinction as an artist from the rest of artists in Cebu?

Every artist has always its own distinction as long he does not let himself be totally influenced by other people. Expressing his own passion as a person is his gift of uniqueness. No other people can perfectly express himself than him. In my case, I have used my art to entice my viewers to understand my advocacy as a Filipino painter.  Foremost, I encourage them to appreciate the presence of God in the their lives.

As a Filipino, I wish to use my art to appeal to my brothers - to love our country, there is no other kind of people that can love our country that much, than us. Taking care of our very own family, strengthening our ties with them is simply our very own testament that indeed we care for our nation. Creating a stronger family will surely contribute to creating a strong and better community. Being positive in what we do can simply make us hopeful in celebrating the best meaning of our lives.

Putting these ideas in my paintings are what differs me from other artists not only in Cebu, but perhaps from other countries , as well.

8.  Plans, perspectives in the visual arts.

'Though the art scene in the Philippines is developing positively, there are areas in the country that needed support. In Cebu, for example, we lack the infrastructure to house the products of creativity of the Cebuano artists. So far, we only have few galleries that promotes our talents. We lack art museums that can facilitate the rapid growth of art awareness and appreciation in the Cebuano community. We are deprived of an Art Center that can truly house the artistry of the Cebuano painters.

Part of my vision is to help establish more venues that can promote the works of our local talents. To help facilitate this plan is to establish a foundation that can professionally run this kind of facilities and help seek more funding for this project. I am also trying to make a linkage among Asian artists to facilitate a better understanding and cooperation among our neighbors in Asia. We are also trying to extend our reach to Europe and America in the hope of giving us wider perspective in developing our art. Lately, we are also embarking on making art as part of the tourism industry in the country.



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