A dainty banquet

CEBU, Philippines - The pieces in the collection depict the story charmingly told by English-Sri Lankan author Charmaine Aserappa in the children’s book titled “Message in the Sand.” Published by indie publishing outfit CANVAS, the book narrates a child’s valiant attempt to rescue the ocean by writing SOS (Save our Seas) every day in the sand nearby his village. 

Roel Obemio was commissioned to translate Ms. Aserappa’s touching story into visual form, and he was a fine choice, as his recent win of the Grand Prize in the Art Association of the Philippines Annual Painting Competition demonstrates.   

Obemio’s first task was to break the scenes down in well-thought out watercolor studies. After satisfying himself that he had adequately articulated the narrative, Roel then sat down and went through the laborious process of transforming the original watercolor studies into larger acrylic pieces. Selected extracts from the ultimate products were then judiciously used as illustrations for the book, and voila, CANVAS had a legitimate Amazon.com bestseller in its hands.

In November of 2008, the Ayala Museum launched the book, together with an exhibition of Obemio’s ultimate acrylic works. However, it was impossible to purchase any of the pieces, as regular collectors and admirers of Obemio had already snapped them all up even before the opening. Envious art aficionados muttered at their failure to snatch even one work from this collection which, given that it had been paired with a published book, destined to become classics. In turn, the book was greeted with favorable reviews and even hailed as an inspirational piece for budding eco-warriors.

In any case, what people didn’t know was that Obemio’s original watercolors were still being kept safe – and after the initial phase of the launch, 1/of Gallery then made these available to the market. 

It is debatable which is the better collection – the more colorful, larger acrylics, or these delicate watercolors. Some would argue that watercolor as a medium is more difficult to work with - hence, achieving a balance of colors and tones while working against a clock is a feat more praiseworthy. Indeed, looking at the individual representatives of Obemio’s collection, this argument might just lend itself to validation.

The fragility of these watercolors echo the transient messages Obemio’s eco boy-hero, Miguel, writes in the sand. As is usual with his other works, the characters in these paintings are corpulent (which, as one Singaporean gallery’s website proclaims, are emblematic of Obemio’s own talent). But their hefty frames take nothing away from the delicacy of his renditions, and the paintings evoke wistfulness and hope in equal measure.

One particular favorite is the scene of a factory, its black sludge carelessly being released to the care of the river beside it. Miguel and his mother are on the other side of the riverbank, unaware that the wastes are silently coalescing within the waters to form a skull, a grisly reminder of our relentless yet hopefully avoidable fate.

Obemio is a graduate of the University of the East, and his write-up in the book’s jacket proclaims him as inspired by Botero and Mauro-Malang Santos. Whatever his influences, Obemio’s ebullient personality still works its way and shines through the pieces of this collection, and provide us, his appreciative audience, a gentle banquet both nourishing and tasty.