Joy to the (art) world
Lawyer Jose Ferdinand “Joy” Rojas, former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager, picked up the paintbrush in between court hearings 15 years ago, and voila, has become a joy to the art scene. So far, he has mounted eight solo exhibits and participated in 20 group shows.
Even his wife, lawyer Patricia “Trish” Bunye Rojas, observes how happy and fulfilled her husband is as an artist.
“He has not changed, but I see how happy and fulfilled he is. In fact I think more people think he is not a lawyer anymore,” laughs Trish.
In his latest exhibit, “Ipso Facto,” at the ArtistSpace of the Ayala Museum, Joy presented a diverse collection of works: from mixed media paintings of all shapes and sizes to pieces of sculpture, from wood to resin, crosses to horses.
“Ipso Facto,” which translates to “by the fact itself,” reflects Joy’s approach to abstraction “as a distillation of ideas into their most self-evident forms, directly linked to their essence.”
A standout is the captivating trio of “Father and Daughter” pieces of sculpture.
Mother-and-child sculpture and artwork tug at our heartstrings, probably because of our Marian devotion, but the father-and-daughter theme is largely unexpressed in popular art. Joy has a trio of these father-and-daughter pieces of sculpture in marble cast resin. In blue and red, these pieces show a father with his daughter on his sturdy shoulders, depicting strength and support. “I got you!” is the message that comes across to me. You see, I am the eldest of my father’s four daughters and I get it.
The three pieces were immediately sold out. In fact, one proud dad bought two for himself at first glance.
This lawyer uses his bare hands in molding the bases of his pieces, then wields a chisel for refinements on the figure.
Joy also has spherical mixed-media artworks in various earth colors that pay homage to “Mother Earth.”
Joy’s round canvases “pay homage to the planet’s staggering richness and diversity, capturing the colors and textures of nature,” according to a review by Carlomar Arcangel Daona.
In collaboration with ArtistSpace, JRFII Studio, and The Saturday Group of Artists, this exhibit stunned with a rich, sometimes intoxicating palette of colors.
After all, how best to capture, though in abstract, the delicate cherry blossoms of Japan, the dramatic foliage of New England, and the scintillating summer scenes of the French Riviera?
“Joy has a very profound understanding of art, having been in the confines of the great museums of the world (and) when he was studying in New England. With that, it has allowed him to tread a unique path that is truly his own. So much depth in this present show of joy. I am truly in awe,” says Jaime Ponce de Leon of Leon Gallery, the purveyor of taste and the finest art pieces in the country.
The other pieces in the exhibit reveal Joy’s personal passions — his love of horses, his deep faith and his devotion to history. These works incorporate actual objects such as horseshoes and images of saints, Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary.
No, Joy hasn’t abandoned his law practice.
“At night and on weekends, and on days when I don’t have hearings, I paint,” says Joy. “I have been drawing since I was a child. My sister was a Fine Arts student but she had to stop because my father wanted her to take up Commerce instead. That was unfinished business for her, and I took inspiration from her works.”
Joy is also grateful to the Saturday Group of Artists, the Philippines’ oldest and most prestigious gathering of artists, for its support.
Indeed, Joy’s foray into the world of canvases and easels, brushes and chisels 15 years ago was not just a continuation of his sister’s “unfinished business” but the beginning of his own.
Ipso Facto. *
- Latest
