“KULAY PINAY” FILIPINO VISUAL ARTISTS SHOWCASES THEIR ARABIC AND CONTEMPORARY MASTER WORKS OF ARTS IN RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA

 
 

By Domingo P. Herras
December 2, 2021
 
 
 




MANILA, Philippines – Eight (8)  Filipina visual artists from various fields of  professional specializations and expertises,  have successfully come together by joining forces forming a combined Filipino prestigious painter’s alliance project dubbed as “Kulay Pinay”- a one-day painting Art Exhibition held at the Cultural Palace, Diplomatic Quarter’s Area in cooperation with the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.



         Kulay Pinay aims to empower Filipina visual artists in Saudi Arabia by raising public awareness of Filipina talent and creativity. By showcasing their artwork, through these pioneering Filipina artists, the project aims to encourage aspiring Filipina artists to pursue their passion for art and have the courage to share their acquired talents, beginning with the Saudi art community.

(In photo) His Excellency, Ambassador Adnan V. Alonto and Mrs. Jo Alonto, with the 8 Visual Artists and the entire Riyadh Embassy Staff

          The ceremonies were graciously attended by members of the Diplomatic Corps at the Diplomatic Quarter spearheaded by His Excellency, Ambassador Alonto as Guest of Honor and Speaker together with Embassy Staff, guests, and friends from the print news and television media and from Filipino organizations.

          With the overwhelming success of the painting exhibition held last Nov. 26, 2021, the author, Domingo "Doms" P. Herras expresses his humble salutations with deep pride and honor to introduce and present the eight (8) Filipina scintillating visual artists with their respective brief profile profile stories together with their selected master artworks successfully mounted at the Cultural Palace's Exhibition gallery.

LESLIE ANN FIESTAN



Leslie Ann Fiestan is a Graphic Designer and Computer Technician by profession and a resident of Riyadh KSA since 1984. Art has been her lifelong passion and grew up winning art contests in her educational years.

 

A self-taught visual artist that focuses on mixed media. She draws her inspirations and embraced the world of realism through the famous works of classical realists such as the works by Bouguereau, DaVinci, Caravaggio and many others. Drawing and sketching was her first love then started to explore different mediums such as charcoal, pastel, watercolor, acrylic and most recently oil painting.

 She has joined painting exhibitions, photography contests and have contributed her talent and expertise by extending support and assistance to some of the Filipino Community Events held in Riyadh as well as Dubai.

CHELSEA AMBRAY



Chelsea Perez-Ambray is a self-taught painter, visual artist, and jewelry designer. She is a registered nurse in the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and in the U.S. A former a nurse educator at King Saud University Medical City, and  currently  she working as a University Associate Professor in the College of Nursing at the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute in the Philippines.  As a Riyadh-based artist, she has participated in several art exhibitions in Riyadh, Al Khobar, and and Jeddah. She was also the first and only Filipina to join the VIP event, exclusively and mainly for Saudi female artists only at the Bentley Art Exhibition in commemoration of the of the 3rd Anniversary of Women Driving in Saudi Arabia.

Her artworks were featured in several social media platforms, Saudi news such as Al Yaum News based in Dammam from her first international art exhibition by Mawhub Art Gallery and Prime Star News from her Adham Art Exhibition that she participated in Jeddah. As an aspiring doctoral student in Nursing, she had continuously acquired more learning experiences in the filed of Nursing, Majoring in Hospital Administration, at the same time doing what she loved the most – painting and jewelry designing. For her, every painting and jewelry that she create or design is an artpiece made with love.

DANIELLE BALDONO

Danielle S. Baldono, a young multidisciplinary artist and student from the Philippines. I also go by Valedan on most of my art sites. I've been pursuing my passion in art since 2015. My art lies in the field of painting, illustration, character design, graphic design, and fashion as well. I create art both digitally, and traditionally through oil, acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, pastel, marker, and pencils.

Through my works, an expression of the ineffable realm of paradisiacal imagination, intricately overlaps with nature and reality. From the birth of mythical creatures and luminous landscapes to the complex coalescence of existing architectural masterpieces, my art yearns for the absolute picturesque with profound meaning.



As an alumna of Future Generation Philippine International School and a current Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Senior High student at the Ateneo de Manila University, I persevere in all that I do, and aim for the exemplary and the extraordinary. I strive in both my academic and artistic endeavors. My greatest aspiration is to be a polymath; a bright astrophysicist or astronautical engineer, as well as a proficient multidisciplinary artist highly-skilled in the great arts. I work hard to endlessly discover and pursue knowledge in the sciences and maximize my utmost potential in art to the very best of my abilities.

VIANCA CABIGTING



Vianca Marie Cabigting is a self-taught visual artist who practices both realism and contemporary arts. Her creative artworks were exhibited in Saudi Arabia. She works primarily in acrylic, but she also dabbles with other medium such as oil paint, pastels, and clay. One of the artists’ main aspirations is to become thoroughly immersed in the field of art.

The artist approaches life with a lighthearted perspective, which has allowed her to incorporate a wide range of concepts into her work. As an artist, she believes that painting is one of her biggest voices that she could impart to everyone.

ERIKA CADIZ

 

Erika Cadiz was born and raised in the Philippines. She is a self-taught painter focusing on surrealist abstraction.  A  full-time  flight  attendant whose passion started from her deep interest in field of surrealism art since she was young and started to put it to practice and pursue it earlier this year.

 

Erika has done a total of five (5) painting exhibits. Two (2) exhibits with Mawhub Arts Gallery, one (1) with Adham Art Center and two (2) with MADS Milano Galler.

CHRISTINE DIMACULANGAN

 

The works of Filipino Christine “Macu” Dimaculangan is a journey of numerous detailed and delicate lines, drawn and painted layer by layer until they form magnificent portraits. From her younger age, she took inspiration from her father’s art gallery. By exploring other mediums, she discovered and crafted her own art techniques.

 

Macu, who is workshop teacher is also a member of Synergy Art Hub. Her earnest aspirations of her creative artworks becomes her inspiration and a window of how she sees the world. She portrays herself as a flying painting artist - being a flight attendant and at the same time a visual artist. She won first place in “Together in Art Exhibition” at Adham Art Center in Jeddah.

IRIS YVONVE FELONCO

 

Iris Yvonne Felonco was born and raised in Mindanao, South  Cotabato  where culture and arts are abundant. She joined poster making contests in her elementary  days but only got serious with painting last year when the pandemic started.With no formal background in painting,  she learned by herself, studied online and practiced mostly from traditional  painting and as well as digital.

 

Painting has been her way of therapy and a way to cope during difcult times. Her 1st exhibit  was featured at Staybridge Suites Hotel, Al Khobar organized  by Mawhub Arts gallery last april 2021. Recently, one of her artwork was selected for Saudi National Day exhibit. It was featured at Royal Saudi Aviation Museum. She is a nurse by profession but painting is her .

STEFI ANNE LARON

 

A very promising professional self-taught visual artist living and working as Flight Attendant in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Stefi Anne Laron creates emotional portraits and other expressions and statements using bold colors and spontaneous strokes. Having a passion for art at such a young age,  Stefi has always been known as “the artist” by her schoolmates and friends because of her eccentric eye in which she showcased her talent in school competitions and events.

 

After a long hiatus, she rediscovered inspiration during the pandemic-lockdown time and mastered her own art style. Her artworks were exhibited in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and in Milan, Italy this year. Stefi’s’ works focus on physiognomy,  recollections  and  unexpressed emotions. She takes a lot of her inspirations from the misunderstood art of rap/hip-hop culture, and street contemporary art. Her goal is for the viewers to rekindle and ignite thoughts and see her creations, just like that famous quote from Cesar A. Cruz. “Art should comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable.”  

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SOURCES:

Facebook Page publications from different Artist’s account

Personal communications sent to the Author via Gmail, Yahoo and Messenger

Philippine Embassy, Riyadh Facebook Page Account

Event Catalogue sent to the Author for reference source Information.

PHOTO CREDITS:

Photos and Master artworks of the 8 Artists courtesy of Miss Leslie Ann Fiestan

Some photos at the Cultural Palace Gallery group photos 

Courtesy of “Kulay Pinay” Alsis Baldono

Danielle Baldono from Danielle Baldono Facebook (extracted by MN)

Poster courtesy of Artist Leslie Ann Fiestan

Artist’s photos courtesy of Artist Leslie Ann Fiestan

Photos and artist’s catalogue Master Art Works- Courtesy of Artist Leslie Ann Fiestan

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As a Freelance Writer and Press Photojournalist he writes and contributes news and feature articlesin the various foreign and local daily broadsheets,  tabloid newspapers and online news magazines abroad. He is currently active member of the Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation, Inc. (FPPF).

He is also an active regular member of the Press Photographers of the Philippines. He had recently completed the Reuters Journalism Digital Training Course and awarded a Certificate of Completion by the Reuters Journalism Foundation.