The story behind Heart Evangelista's soulful paintings
MANILA, Philippines — For Love Marie Ongpauco-Escudero it was both love and sadness that rekindled her romance with painting.
As the artist recalled at her press launch of her Carry Your HeART exhibit at on August 16, she has always had a knack for painting, but she never had the chance to let her creativity flourish, until few years ago.
Strokes of sadness
"It was when I was going through...I was in this really sad stage of my life when I fought with my parents and I started painting again. It was very therapeutic for me," she explained.
Just like most artists, Love Marie saw painting as a way to deal with her own emotions, transforming her vision into a tangible reality.
Creativity, like many things, is actually a delicate balance of nature and nurture, meaning it can be destroyed or enhanced by external forces.
Big push
As soon as her husband Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero, who was then her boyfriend, noticed Love Marie working on those brushes again, he encouraged her to get a bigger canvas.
"I was using small canvas then and he said, 'Why don't you get a bigger canvas and paint on them, instead sa puro maliliit?" she recalled.
Being a supportive partner, Chiz got Love Marie her first big canvas. Since then, Love Marie's creativity bloomed. Using oil as her medium, she played with her exquisite eye for detail and soulful touch through broad strokes and swathes of vibrant color.
"I was on a high. It felt great you know, the feeling of finishing something big. So, that's how it started again. And I started na to paint seriously again ng mga 2013," she quipped.
Putting it out there
In 2014, Love Marie decided to share her works by putting up her first painting exhibit at Art Space of the Ayala Museum. Surprisingly, all her paintings were sold out within the day.
"I was pressured then. I did not want it to be so commercialized. Like people would think na sold out kasi I am an artista. So when I found out na sold out medyo na-conscious talaga ako," she said.
READ: Why Heart Evangelista uses a different name in the art world
Just like everyone else who holds on to her dreams, Love Marie did not stop chasing stars. Months later, she had another show at Galerie Joaquin in San Juan. And in 2015, she became the first Filipina to put up a solo art exhibit at Chan Hampe Galleries in Singapore.
Fast forward to 2016, Love Marie has now extended her art, from canvas to dresses and handbags. Next month, she is set to hold a "Carry Your HeART" exhibit at the Volkswagen Showroom in Bonifacio Global City where some of her hand-painted luxury handbags will be showcased to the public for the first time.
