Artist Felix Bacolor plays with the power and the versatility of color in his latest set of works, which will be on view at the West Gallery in SM Megamall from January 27 through February 10. Titled “Paintings,” it is Bacolor’s third one-man exhibit.
Bacolor, who is also a freelance art director, says that he finds the idea of simply exploring the basic concept of painting fascinating, In his latest show, he uses one-foot high box frames to highlight a spectrum of color, as if the exhibit walls were one big, large-scale palette. To Bacolor, it’s trying something new, a different form of “paintings” from the traditional, two-dimensional art works we’d normally see hinging on the wall.
While he has some idea of how the finished products will look like, Bacolor also takes advantage of the immediacy in art making, combining both the spontaneity of installation and the inventiveness of painting. While the idea has been on his mind in the last three months, coming up with his own color swatches, the actual execution only begins a day or two before the exhibit opens. He wants to preserve the natural flow of the paint into the box frames, as well as rely on his creative instincts in choosing particular color combinations once he lays out of the box frames in the gallery. He adds that every day counts, finding time to tests raw ideas on paper. He keeps a notebook in which he records and sketches compositions for possible projects, never downright discarding ideas that may not work at this time.
The concept for “Paintings” spun off from an earlier idea, where Bacolor wanted to collect and stack old books to represent different bands of color. Deciding to stick with acrylic and canvas (as lining on the box frames), Bacolor says that he has the opportunity to display his playful side, like a kid having fun with blocks. There is no stress or pressure, and that is just the way he wants his painting to come out, as free-wheeling as he can express himself in more or less 14 different hues.
He is also planning to be more active in the art scene this year, intending to get the creative juice flowing into as many avenues as he can find.
Bacolor took up fine arts at the University of the Philippines, and won 2nd place at the Art Association of the Philippines annual painting competition in 1999. He frequently joins longtime artist-friends for group exhibits, which help him hone his skill further with the different visual approaches he comes up with every time.
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