SMALL BY SMALL
One of the things my mother used to tell us when we were growing up was "Small by small. Slow by slow." What she meant was that in the face of any disaster, loss, tragedy or challenge that might confront us, we can keep moving forward. "Small by small. Slow by slow," she would say. That was her way of reassuring us that things will pass and get better.
Recently, I recalled this mantra, and had the idea to organize an online show to celebrate resilience as the quarantine lifts and opens into an uncertain future. So I reached out to artists, and invited them to submit at least one artwork. Given the short notice, I told them that it could be any artwork of any size, as long as it was a hopeful piece.
These are their responses.
We surely have a long and difficult journey ahead. Here's to taking our first steps forward on a positive artistic note.
— Gigo Alampay, Founder and Executive Director of CANVAS
This show was mounted at the start of the pandemic in the year 2020.
Aldy Aguirre / Ahon / Watercolor and gouache on acid-free paper
Charlie Go / The Journey Goes On / Acrylic on canvas
RV Basco / The Tales of the Blue Tree / Acrylic on canvas
Elmer Borlongan / Panadero / Conte on Paper
Mark Jeffrey Santos / Every Twig Counts / Acrylic on canvas
Nina Garibay / Bare Necessities / Oil on canvas
Roel Obemio / Mama / Pastel and pencil on paper
Cedrick dela Paz / Drimhaus / Acrylic on canvas (multi-panel)
Euphoric 1
Euphoric 2
Euphoric 3
Euphoric 4
Euphoric 5
Mark Dawn Arcamo / Euphoric series / Acrylic on panel
Lui Manaig
For My Ninang
Acrylic on canvas
I grew up in a broken family. My parents were busy with their own things, but my Ninang was always there for me as I was growing up. One bonding moment I remember was her sewing a costume for my school field demo. My Ninang kept hope alive in me.
The theme of this show, “small by small, slow by slow” reminded me of her. Her sewing machine, for me, is a great metaphor of this mantra.
Abril Valdemoro
Markang Isinawatawat
Oil on canvas
A flag is not just a symbol of a country, it also represents stories of heroes and people who helped forge the soul of a nation. Little by little we gather the traits and characteristics of a good citizen. Slowly, we hoist progress in our nation.
Full of hope, we raise our flag while singing our national anthem. Celebrating and commemorating past and present heroes who gave (up) their lives to care and protect our fellow Filipinos.
Small by small, slow by slow, and hand in hand we will rise our flag again.
Dansoy Coquilla
ECQREAM
Oil on canvas
I am paying tribute sa mga tinitingala kong mga artist kagaya ni Edvard Munch. Ang panahong it rin ay nagpakita ng resiliency ng mga artist dahil nalalagpasan namin ang lockdown sa pamamagitan ng pagiging productive sa artmaking.
Bam Garibay / Relief Operation / Oil on canvas
Kora Dandan-Albano / Binhi / Oil on canvas
Arnel Natividad / Grow From the Inside / Acrylic on Canvas
Alee Garibay / Respite / Oil on canvas
Jessa Balag / Keeping the Distance / Oil on canvas
Johanna Helmuth / Smile Your Worries Away / Oil on paper
Chad Montero
Propeta
Oil on canvas
We Filipinos live by our shared beliefs and old sayings that have been our guide in separating right from wrong, the bridge upon which we cross towards knowledge and the future. Although we should keep up with the passage of time, let us not forget the wisdom of generations past. As the folk saying goes, “Papunta ka pa lang, pabalik na ako.”
Janelle Tang / Sprout / Acrylic on panel
Janelle Tang / Build / Acrylic on panel
Janelle Tang / Stop Obsessing / Acrylic on panel
Gromyko Semper
Little by Little, Small by Small
Acrylic and oil on watercolor paper
A meek creature came out of its hiding, carrying a toy house, as if offering Hope. Despite all the darkness that enveloped us, we can begin living in a little house, and begin a new life in a new home. Change begins the moment we are willing to give up what we use to do, and instead consider doing things that are expedient and true.
Christian Culangan
Mga Damdamin sa Looban
Acrylic on Canvas
Mula sa obserbasyon na dinadamdam ng mga tao at kinahaharap sa panahon ngayon ang inspiration ko sa pagbuo ng artwork. Mula sa dilim hanggang sa liwanag ng mga tao, dahil tao din ang maaring magbigay liwanag sa kinahaharap nating problema.
Sarah Geneblazo / Safe Zone / Oil on canvas
Everyone is in a collective state of trauma. I have witnessed fear spread faster than the coronavirus. My art helps me heal, and my home is the safest place to avoid the COVID-19 virus. They are my safe zones.
Sarah Geneblazo / Momentous / Oil on canvas
Giving the flowers as a gift connects and communicates deepest emotion. We sometimes take our family and loved ones for granted, or often don’t show appreciation for what they do for us. But the pandemic lockdown changed everything. While it made people feel isolated and frightened, it also taught us to appreciate the simple ways of life, and reminded us of what really is important in this world.
Jericho Moral / Untangling / Acrylic on paper
Kiko Capile / Coronnials / Pen and ink and watercolor on 300 gsm watercolor paper
Dengcoy Miel
Sa Gitna ng Daaluyong ng Kadiliman
Acrylic on canvas
This is an allegorical piece about the current state of things, about our hopeful desire to illumine ourselves out of it, inch by inch, and away from this beastly darkness.
Mek Yambao
’Til Dusk
Oil on pure copper plate
This is a painting of dusk at the park where I used to often go to run and bike ’til dusk. Things were much more simple back then, and that simplicity is something I look forward to.
Marcel Antonio / Festina Lente 1 / Oil on canvas
Marcel Antonio / Festina Lente 2 / Oil on canvas
The titles of both my works mean "make haste, slowly." That’s actually my life’s motto, along with "age quod agis" which translates as "do what you're doing, or concentrate on the task at hand."
In each artwork, the main character is on a rocky road to life, riding on top of a rabbit fused to a snail which is a classic emblem. The works speak of the need to be prudent with our steps, as we reach for our destination beyond the hills where our hopes lie.
RA Tijing / Farmer 1 / Oil on canvas
I have recently gotten into farming because of the quarantine. I used to devote almost all of my time to my art. But now, I am more than an artist— I am a farmer-artist! And I want to continue being one, even after the lockdown.
I have a piece of fertile land, which remains idle to this very day. I’m planning to build a studio and farm there at the same time.
I actually come from a family of farmers. A lot of my relatives, however, chose to work in the city. But they have returned to farming also because of the quarantine.
I’m grateful that I still have my own piece of land. Land is more precious these days, and in more ways than one.
RA Tijing / Farmer 2 / Oil on canvas
Tyron Santos / Glue Gun / Graphite on paper
Jai Alano / Alpas / Graphite on paper
Palma Tayona
Stars and Stripes
Ink on paper
No matter how life or circumstances or even other people has treated you, just hold on. Let your wounds heal, and stand up again. If you find yourself down again, stand up.
Life is not about doing things by leaps and bounds, it is taking each step one at a time.
Rhea Nabayo
Kindergarden
Oil on canvas
Great things came from small beginnings.
Progress happens because someone decides to act.
Cheryl Owen / Offering / Watercolor on paper
John Raphael Fabros
Pale Blue Dot
Acrylic on canvas
Carl Sagan, upon viewing an image snapped 30 years ago by Voyager I remarked, "Look again at that dot. That's here. "That's home. That's us."
That dot, however small in cosmic scale, is home to all that defines our humanity: love, ego, death, hate, war, and life. It gives us perspective. We must continue to serve one another, and use this time to reflect on the greater good because this pandemic is but a blip in time.
Jaime Pacena II
Little by little
Acrylic on 245 gsm acid free acrylic block Muse paper
Since I was kid, this has been my mantra. Despite the challenges and the struggles, there will always be a way...
One phase at a time...
One effort at a time, little by little, we will all get there.
Jill Arteche / Ginhawa / Colored pencils on acid free paper
June Digan
Kailan?
Watercolor and gouache on acid free paper
When are we going back to normal? When will this pandemic be over? We don't know. The future is uncertain, and life may never fully return to normal. But with all these uncertainties, may we never lose hope. May we all find new meanings to living, may we gain new strength, and may we rise with courage in these trying times.
Regina Reyes
Leaky Roof Over My Head
Oil on canvas
A room is one’s place of solitude, and as time passes it inevitably becomes one with the person residing in it. Mine has a leaky spot in the ceiling that I have been meaning to get fixed for years now. Each time it rains I am flooded with so much frustration and anxiety over the thought of my material things getting damaged or destroyed.
But these times allow us to reflect on the importance of what we have. Albeit a leaky one, my roof is still a roof. I can still sleep well at night. It still protects, supports, and houses the physical body I am in. And on some nights - I can still look at that leaky spot in my room and wish that I can have it fixed someday soon. That is more than what I can ask for right now.