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New Paintings in My Private Museum

It sounds very rich to say,"My Private Museum". I wish I have one. But I'm not wishful thinking. Instead, I'm adding new paintings to my current collection of artworks. From Roxas City I brought home two oil paintings. Unang Apo is by Lino Villaruz and Cooking Woman is by A. Villanueva who is a former student of Lino's and is now a teacher of art himself. Cooking Woman is a very good copy of a painting done by the famous Fernando Amorsolo.

Villaruz's style borders on abstract with elements of pointillism. Notice the dots that shower his canvas. It reminds me of Seurat's paintings. I've seen Lino's other works including one in the style of Picasso's Portrait of Dora Marr.



"Ang Unang Apo" (First Grandchild)
by Lino Villaruz
Oil on canvas
18 x 24





Cooking Woman touches me because it is a poignant reminder of home. The water jar in the background is the same kind we had in our house. We played with clay pots as children and made "inedible" rice. The firewood reminds me of our "dirty" kitchen at the back of the house. In the foreground of the painting there is an almerez, where you pound garlic, peanuts, and other things your grandmother wants you to refine. The best almerez were from Romblon and made of local marble. And the plate with fish reminds me that we ate fish, prawns, shrimps, or crab everyday in the "seafood" capital of the Philippines. I am blessed with many beautiful memories of life in our little island.



"Cooking Woman"
by A. Villanueva
Oil on canvas
18 x 24

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