Flight of the angels

Irish writer, poet and playwright Oscar Wilde quotes "With age comes wisdom…" Getting older could mean shifting or redefining one's thoughts, priorities and reflections about life. It even makes one spiritual, introspective or highly philosophical. For a visual artist, his introspection could be unequivocally manifested in his artworks. This soul-searching of thoughts, impressions and feelings mirrors Prof. Jose "Javy" M. Villacin's one-man art exhibit dubbed "Rediscovering the Flight of the Angels".

Opened on July 6 until August 6, 2013 at the Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort in Buyong, Maribago, Mactan Island, Prof. Villacin's exhibit mounts his mixed media acrylic paintings, revisiting and connecting his visual art form in 1992 to the present. As rightly stated by the artist, "tracing one's creative arch, I believe, is imperative for every artist as a way to chart, comprehend, and appreciate one's growth in aesthetics and craft. Contemporary artists, as well as fine arts students and faculty will learn from the show the importance of learning from one's past as a way towards maturity and confidence in one's philosophy and form of artistic expression".

As an artist and fellow professor, we call each other "Bossing/Big Bossing", a gesture of mutual admiration and respect in an academic environment where self-expression is valued and individuality is celebrated.

The artist takes pride of his association with multi-awarded social artist Joey Ayala in Bag-ong Lumad. Such cultural alliance has great influence on his previous works in "Future Primitive", which puts depth and honor of a transforming root in an evolving society-in turn serves as an inspiration to his current exhibit.  

 "Taking same images and themes into the level of the transcendental are 14 artworks, 10 of 4X3 feet and 4 of 8X8 inches canvasses using organic materials such as fibers, gauze and recycled papers using a unique technique in layering of washes and drips intended to create a transparency of monochromatic shades of whites and blues. The abstract expressionist presents a sublime and otherworldly flight to a space of both tranquility and chaos, in heaven and on earth."

Common to Prof. Villacin's artworks are red, vertical lines at the center which connotes, I believe, is the searching of our cores, the essence of one's being-the ultimate purpose of being. We may be going somewhere else, in different directions with diverse purposes and objectives but in the end we need to find our center. The centering allows us to define and redefine the purpose of one's existence and meaning. Finding the center could also mean life's distractions and temptations which are everywhere-pulling us to innumerable directions. But returning to the center means realizing one's ultimate end. Finding one's true self, when concealing is the norm, liberates a soul from the bondage of pretensions.

For the colors blue and white, each color has a significant mantra that mostly has no apparent verbal meaning, but thought to have profound significance and serve as distillations of spiritual wisdom.  For blue, it envisages open spaces, freedom, imagination, expansiveness, inspiration, and sensitivity.  Blue's mantra is: "I am expansive" For white, it visualizes illumination, purity, innocence and the highest understanding and its mantra is "I am illumined".

One's flight is not always smooth. It is not a journey of constant tranquility and serenity. At times, flights could be bumpy and tumultuous. To search and be able to reach one's destination requires physical and spiritual strength.  

In a flight, you can look back, trace significant experiences-reminiscent of the past. A flight could be both nostalgic and reflective. The people and the memories make us humane to acknowledge and learn life's lessons. Use experiences, like angels, in soaring to greater heights.   

Flight of the angels is both a physical and spiritual journey. The angels' expedition evokes     struggles on earth and triumphs in heaven. The artist's feat represented by "heavenly masterpieces" reflects the artist's maturity and excellence as years passed by, not only in terms of craftsmanship but also in higher, divine realm.

It is a soaring spiritual flight not for the faint-hearted fleeing away from fight but for courageous souls who risk experiencing the higher dimension of the being.

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