likenesses

I’ve already uploaded some of these on my illustration blog alamundo.tumblr.com.

But I have more followers here :-)

A couple months ago, I modeled for artist Rodrigo Luff. Here are some of the sketches and rough paintings he’s come up with. I just love them!

Who?

Can anyone tell me who this artist is? The painting is entitled “Lakambini” and is hanging in a restaurant in Manila called “Silya’t Sili”. Photo is from Clickthecity.com. :-) Lovely painting!

two paintings, one woman

For most of my life, my grandma lived right around the corner from me, and this painting always hung on the same spot on the adobe wall on the living room of her enormous 1950s house. 

I didn’t realize that the woman in the painting was my grandma until I was older. 

It was painted by one of the Philippines’ national artists, Botong Francisco. It was not a commission. She was asked to sit for him. 

I like the juxtaposition between a traditional Mindanaoan cultural costume, and the Western-ness of the way she is styled, almost like a pin-up girl. 

Here, she is the spitting image of my mother. 

Decades later, when she was an old lady with more than a dozen grandchildren, her son-in-law saw this painting hanging on the wall of a dentist’s office. He immediately recognized his mother-in-law. 

The owner had no idea who the woman in the painting was, and it was lucky my uncle didn’t reveal her identity or the he might have demanded a higher price for it. My uncle convinced the owner to part with the long-lost painting and presented it to the family as a surprise. 

The painting was made by another famous Filipino painter, Victorio Edades. Different style, same woman.

Here, she is the spitting image of my sister. 

My grandmother told of a 3rd painting from the same sitting, but it remains lost to this day. It was also painted by a national artist, but I will not reveal his name until the painting is found. 

Nonetheless, To have been painted by not one but three esteemed artists in your lifetime is certainly something to brag about.