Variations of  life by Büm D. Tenorio, Jr.

If their exhibit last December — titled Variations 9 — was a precursor of the things to come, 2008 would be a year of bounty, of serenity, of optimism.

Variations 9 is the title given by distinguished painter and sculptor Edgar Doctor to the exhibit of his nine students — former Cabinet Secretary for presidential flagship programs and Undersecretary of Agriculture and Trade and Industry Ernie Ordoñez, his wife Sylvia and children Teresa and Cristina, Ching Caluag, Jet Parma, Angela Angeles, Pinky Roxas and Veronica Guerrero.

After more than 10 sessions, Edgar Doctor says his students — who used watercolor, acrylic, pastel and oil while attending classes at Gallery Valentina at 18 Fordham St., St. Ignatius Village, Katipunan Road, Quezon City — have developed their own style. “I told them not to make their own style for the sake of style. I told them that they have to focus on their personality because that will reveal their style. Yes, your personality is your own style.”

Ernie Ordoñez’s love for nature is apparent in his two renditions of seascape which are both a study in contrast — in color, in texture, in mood. His Seascape 1 is hopeful; it basks in the reflected glory of the sea, sand and sky. His Seascape 2 is a reflection of a disposition for longing — for another challenge, for another adventure after coming full circle. (If you ask me which one I like more, I would say it’s the latter because it gives me the feeling that I should not be complacent, lackadaisical. That there should always be fire under my seat, so to speak, so I would be kept abreast with the tides of time.)

A bountiful harvest is seen in Sylvia’s colorful Fruit Basket, as well as in her verdant Garden Plant, reminiscent of how hopeful she is of life.

As for twin sisters Cristina and Teresa, who are gymnastics medalists and both in Grade 5 at St. Scholastica’s College in Manila, their combination of simple and complex lines in their artworks belies their young age. Cristina’s Basket with Fruits and Big Fish and Teresa’s Abstract and Landscape are whimsical yet full of impact.

Ching Caluag’s love for horticulture is felt in her paintings. Her colorful Butterfly that makes love to the flowers in the garden attests to the beauty of metamorphosis. Her Rooster, on the other hand, seems to crow songs of hope despite its lonesomeness at high noon.

Robust is the Red Palm and full-bodied is the Flowers, Still Life of Jet Parma of Pioneer, a company that exports hybrid corn and rice. His artworks seem to herald a season of plenty.

Businesswomen Veronica Guerrero and Pinky Roxas focus also on everything that nourishes: fruits and vegetables.  Their harvests are so alive — Pinky’s Jar with Carrot and Squash and Veronica’s Jar with Fruits and Veggies — they seem to jump out of the canvass, ready to give nourishment for both body and soul.

Variations 9 indeed depicts modalities of life — that no matter how hurried life seems to be, we go back to the basics of living, to the uncomplicatedness of nature. It is in simplicity that we find bounty, beauty, hope, happiness, serenity and optimism.

(Edgar Doctor will hold painting classes in April 2008. For more information, please e-mail gallery director Wati Doctor at [email protected])

(E-mail the author at [email protected])