Philippine STAR-Swatch 'My Bullish Art Contest': Life is oks for 2009 winners

MANILA, Philippines - Last week, we published the top four winning entries of “My Bullish Art Contest.” This week, we present the honorable mention artworks, which depict how the artists look at 2009: The Year of The Ox.   The top entries to the contest are on display at the Swatch Store, Greenbelt 5, until March 31.

• Cristina Panajon, 26, sister of Lea Panajon, second-prize winner, currently works as a data encoder. In her free time, she likes surfing the Net and playing computer games. All honorable-mention winners receive the Swatch Special Bulls On Parade watch.

• Mark Angelo Argarin, 32, married, is currently employed as a graphic artist at the SM head office. In college, he used to paint but has since moved to the new medium of digital art as this is less expensive and less time-consuming than painting. He likes playing chess in his spare time.

• Cleo Roda Nodado, 38, single, is currently employed at Novartis as product manager. The inspiration for her artwork is “being bullish in difficult times,” which means thinking positive all the time. Her hobby is photography and she is an active member of the Olongapo Camerabugs Photography Club. She won the grand prize in last year’s Year of the Rat Photo Contest.

• Waldz Villanueva’s entry is an interesting interpretation of Philippine art and the letras y figuras, which spells out “My Bullish Art” and features a Tibetan mandala.

• Judith Cheng Carlos, 42, married, with a nine-year-old son, thought of submitting a 3-D entry to catch the judges’ attention. Her hobby is photography and she currently runs a small Internet café.

• John Joseph “JJ” dela Rosa, 27, is an advertising assistant at Bankee Trading. His hobbies include painting and sketching and he likes playing basketball, too. He also collects toys like action figures, Alex Ross, and anime. His inspiration for his entry is “to start the year with passion.”

• Virginia Chua, 55, and single, decided to join the contest during a bonding session with her niece. In her spare time, she enjoys cross-stitching, watching movies and TV. She works in her family business.

• Rommel Ramota, 26, is an advertising and public relations senior student at PUP. His hobbies include painting, sketching, and swimming.

• Fredrich “Edrich” Buenaventura, 30, married with a baby girl, is a teacher at St. Paul’s College Bocaue, Bulacan, teaching technology and home economics to sophomores and seniors. He is a Fine Arts graduate and painting is his hobby.

• Belandre “Billy” Nepomuceno, 40, married with a 10-year-old son, is currently employed as an artist in the marketing group of SGV. He was one of consolation-prize winners in the “Year of the Pig Photo Contest.” His hobby is digital photography and his family is always his inspiration when he submits entries.