Never a day without a line
Jennifer Fairbanks
MANILA, Philippines — It was always my childhood dream to live away from all I was used to. I would live in a place filled with art, a place where imagination reigned. On my graduating year of college at Ateneo, a Jesuit priest pointed the way to a place like this: the Art Students’ League of New York. The paintings in this show are part of that dream. They are also results of that dream.
A painting by Mia Herbosa
When I was in my teens, I realized art was very therapeutic for me. It transported me from everyday cares and made me focus on beauty and harmony in its essence. The hours would pass like they were minutes, and I knew, each color and line I put down was time not wasted. It truly made me feel the “power in the present moment” that everyone is talking about these days. When you are focused on the creation of something right in front of you, there is no past to worry about, no future to be anxious of. At that moment all your senses are there at your service to complete the task at hand. In the act of creating, you learn something very beautiful about life, about yourself in this life. And in this process you mold your own soul in an atmosphere of meaning and truth.
When I count the years I’ve been learning at the Art Student’s League of New York, it exceeds all the years of my grade school, high school and college combined. A professional art school with its creed, “Never a Day without (drawing) a Line.” It was made for those like me. I would never change it or trade those years for anything. For there I met many kindred spirits. People who felt similar to me about their art and many who astonished me with their great talent. We learned from each other, and grew with one another. Our lives and art enriched each other’s vision. These are people who honor and respect their gifts and create their lives in the pursuit of developing these talents. It is something that is bigger than the individual selves. And in this brave risk they take with their lives, they inspire.
Yana Golikova
Having an exhibit with all the friends who helped expand and deepen my vision was also another dream of mine. So, in this show called “Nulla Dies Sine Linea,” or “Never a Day Without a Line,” I introduce to you the works my good friends, Jennifer Fairbanks from Kentucky; Yana Golikova, originally from Russia; Mark Gonzales from Brooklyn; Yee Mee Lee, born in Hong Kong and then all her life a Native New Yorker; and Rick Perez from pre-Castro Cuba and later a New Yorker himself. Each of them is a recognized talent and all hold honors, grants and awards from respected art institutions in the US. I am only too happy to exhibit together with them. One day, I hope to open a little art school in Manila. Here, I hope they will come visit as instructors. Jennifer already currently runs her own painting school and gallery in Kentucky, and Yee Mee and Rick are both teaching oil painting part time in the NYC area.
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“Nulla Dies Sine Linea” opens on March 10 at ArtistSpace in Greenbelt 5, Makati City. The show will run until March 25. For inquiries, call Elaine O. Herbosa at +63917-8901219 or email elaineoherbosa111@gmail.com.
