Glenn Jailed at the Parthenon / Athens, Greece ’72
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Glenn Jailed at the Parthenon
Athens, Greece ’72
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Thank you David for showing me my old stationery. Can you take a clearer image to show the line about “truth” written? I totally forgot about this. I had this stationery when I first moved in to BF Homes in mid 70s. Then, I lived in my first house at 122 C.C. Santos street, purchased from BF Homes at around 76T. Where you are staying now in Osorio Street is my third house in BF. Also, if you can find my handwritten diary with photos about my trip to Europe, specifically an image of me and two other female friends walking at the Parthenon, kindly take a clear image of this unclear photo. Love you.
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“Long, long ago the Truth was found,
a company of men it bound.
Grasp firmly then that ancient Truth.”
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by Glenn A. Bautista
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glenn.angeles.bautista
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I don’t really remember where I got this quotation about “truth”.
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But, somehow, in a gist, this expresses a common thing about humans in need of getting to a truth or the Truth – – a built-in longing expressed or suppressed deep inside in all of us.
And if this is not the case, some would say, that particular human does not possess any conscience.
Shortly before I found myself in front of the “Erectheum” at the Parthenon in Greece, I was for almost three years, away from my beloved motherland, Philippines, an art student at the Brooks Institute of Fine Arts in Santa Barbara, California. It was only on the second year that I began to accept that I would do everything by myself: go to the market or grocery, do my laundry and dishes, cook food, etc., for in the Philippines, we had household help and I had several workers helping me with my projects, or create artworks. I did not realize that for most of my life, I was dependent on everything around me when I was living my life in my country in the Philippines. Somehow, as a Filipino, I had neglected, overlooked what I was in relation to my siblings, father and mother, my extended family and circle of friends.
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So, the term, dependence or independence came to view. What was right and what was wrong? Or, should we just leave things as they were and as they are, presently, for Filipinos experiencing the same in their own space and time? Or, should criticism or discussions be made to bring about better realizations for a better future for the next generations of Filipinos? At this stage of my life or existence, only then did I begin to question, or wonder.
When I was much younger, I used to tell myself. Should we question, should we answer? Only to find out later after several “satsangs” with my guru from the Himalayas that another culture out there would say, “there are no questions, there are no answers”, there is just “being”.
So, for a time, I practiced “BEING”. It did open a lot of doors. It did open my soul and mind. It did reach out to me and to others. It did not take any effort, because if I did take effort, I would not have realized what “being” meant, or what it is all about.
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In front of the Caryatids at the Erectheum, I was done filtering earth to extract fine dust using a plastic screen I had in my goat-skin shoulder bag. I then mixed it with a bit of water from my goat-skin water bag and with my hand, rubbed the “Parthenon earth mixture” on to a thin but strong paper to extract an exact copy of the design of an icon that seemed to display a cross or a plus icon or symbol. I was too engrossed to realize that quite a number of tourists had already surrounded watching me, when two Parthenon guards, to my left and right, grabbed my arms stopping me with the ongoing process of making an earth rubbing of the cross or plus symbol.
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Before I knew it, I was in jail for a day, not too far from the Parthenon. It was then, that I thought of counting how many rubbings I had done during my 2-month Eurail-pass journey of Europe. In the process of counting, a guard let me out and accompanied me to the jail’s office. In brief, I managed to explain, at length, what I was doing when I was apprehended. Thinking back, it was quite unthinkable that I would be apprehended just by touching a piece of stone outdoors, under the heat of the sun at the Parthenon where most tourists even stepped on most of the stones around. Perhaps, pocketing or better yet, stealing some of these Parthenon stones lying around be a better reason why a visitor could be apprehended.
The tear on the upper right of the image above was where my left foot was, so the wind would not blow the rubbing away from me as I worked on it. As you can see, the rubbing was not really completed.
This unpleasant experience at the Parthenon did not stop me from making more rubbings, even around the Parthenon. I did quite a number of rubbings at the Temple of Zeus and many other important Greek edifices. I also did rubbings in Brindisi, Corfu, Calais, Rome, Florence, Delphi, Corinth and other places in Europe.
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In 1987, Gallery Genesis asked me if I wanted to have a retrospective show at the Cultural Center of the Philippines to which, after some thought, I agreed, although I thought it was really too early for me to have a retrospective show. But anyway, I was quite excited about the opportunity to be able to exhibit at CCP, almost without limit for most of my works worth exhibiting.
In this retrospective exhibit which I called, “halo-halo” (1987 – “Halo-Halo”, Little Gallery, CCP, Manila) I exhibited most of my favorite thumbnails, sketches, pastels, oils and sculptures. My poster incorporated the image of the real “halo-halo” ingredients and glass (no image available). Halo-Halo is a traditional Filipino treat consisting of a blend of fruits, sweet preserves, evaporated milk, and shaved ice. It is frequently topped with a scoop of ice cream. The name literally means “Mix-Mix.” So now, you know what I mean.
In this art exhibition, I also included all of the “rubbings” I did in Europe, a very precious, personal collection that I did not even think of selling. One day, I visited my “Halo-Halo” art exhibit and was surprised to find out that all my artworks were not anymore on exhibit. Normally, I personally take down my own artworks and get some help from my friends as I did when I initially installed the artworks for that art exhibit. So, I thought, I should pay Genesis Art Gallery a visit to find out what happened.
But before I could plan on doing that, I got a call from Ernie Salas’ secretary asking me to come over to see him at his office, which I did. I was caught by surprise when he mentioned that I owe him a lot of money and that I had not been in full compliance with our contract – that is, my regular check from the gallery against my artworks. So, right there and then, Ernie Salas offered that the gallery gets all my “Halo-Halo” exhibit artworks for both of us to call it “quits”. Emotional as I was, I felt I did not have any choice than to accept Ernie’s offer.
So, looking back, together with my favorite early works from ca. 1967-87, and the “rubbings” I did in Europe in ‘72, that’s my story how I lost ownership of my favorite, personal art collection. By the way, Chi-chi Salas, the gallery owner, after a time, allowed me to get a few of my very personal artworks, only I could appreciate.
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So, as they say in Germany,
“Leben ist leben” – “Life is life”.
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Again, as deem apropos, here goes that line
I used then at my stationery,
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“Long, long ago the Truth was found,
a company of men it bound.
Grasp firmly then that ancient Truth.”
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I just searched the internet and found that Goethe wrote this line:
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This came in just this morning from my UPCFA mate and friend, Noli Garalde:
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Remnants of Glenn’s
First 2-Month Tour of Europe
when he was a Student
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Related link – active title – ->
A Foreword by My Beloved Ninong “Ernie” Salas
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Bloglist Titles:
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ARTWORKS:
Excerpts on my ART / by Glenn Bautista
“EMBERS”, a mural by UPCFA art student, Glenn A. Bautista
Portraits by Glenn (1965-2002)
Digital-Analog Collage/Drawing
2009-10 Colorado Pastels by Glenn A. Bautista
Meditation – “In Search of the Divine”
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PHOTOGRAPHY:
Life’s Insectscapes & Bob Dylan
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ACTIVITIES:
Art Talk/Exhibit – Easter Sunrise Service Houston Trinity UMC
Rtn. Dir.”Glenn” meets w/ College-friend PP “Sue” again
On Cleaning / Repairing Kawai Piano, etc . . .
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PUBLICATIONS:
A Foreword by My Beloved Ninong “Ernie” Salas
Glenn’s CyberArtPages 1963 – 2013 on . .
TXSBN Press Releases 2013 / Visual Artist – Glenn A. Bautista
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INTERVIEWS:
PATMOS Interviews Glenn A. Bautista / Portrait of the Artist /1976
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RESEARCH:
On Filipino Tribal Tools, Weaponry, Instruments & Writings
Some Casual Thoughts behind “The Ideal Filipino Community”
The Ideal Filipino Community by Glenn Bautista
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GLENLORNDAV / GALLERIES:
Interior Pix – GlenLornDav Gallery-Studio
GlenLornDav-Gallery Renov / BautistaFam Reunion-Sept ’12
Pix / BF Gallery-Studio Renovation / Sept ’12
On Cleaning / Repairing Kawai Piano, etc . . .
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FRIENDS:
Ma’s Concern, CAFAsingers & Gentle Rain (ALM-BLM) / ’63-’69
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EDUCATION:
My UP (Peyups) Days / 1964-69 & Kunstakademie/Guest Student / 1980-85
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“In Search of the Divine”
“In Search of the Divine”
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glenn.angeles.bautista
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This early morning, I was wakened up by a pelvic pain and, although it got lower a bit after meditation, my blood pressure was still high. So, since it was still dark, I decided to have longer meditation exercises which I learned from my ‘guru’ in the ‘70s – a Brahmin who lived with the wild animals in the Himalayas for three years.
I stopped meditating for some time now since my experience doing it almost made me transform into a ‘Buddhist monk’. I was willing to give up everything just so I could pursue such a path. This reminds me of a ‘Buddhist gown’ Betsy Romualdez Francia gave to me which I wore for some time. Too bad, I don’t have any photo of it.
As I am writing now, my blood pressure is almost normal and the pelvic pain is gone.
My guru, whose name I never got to know, for he never gave ‘us’ his name, taught me how to meditate using ‘light’. (“us” -> meditation group pulled together by Betsy after meeting our ‘guru’ picking up garbage in front of her house).
This morning, I noticed the tiny security monitoring light was just in front of me for it was the only thing I could see, not turning on the light so as not to waken Lorna up. I was so focused on this light that I started my meditation using it. Sitting in meditation stance imagining I was on top of mother Earth, while my tongue pushed against my ‘upper palate’, and focused on the light for ten seconds, I slowly closed my eyes and directed the light towards my tail bone through my spine until I stopped breathing out-down. From my tail bone while breathing in-up, I made it travel up my spine again making a stopover on my brain for ten seconds, then, as I open my eyes, I stared back at the light source which is the monitoring light. Then, I breathed out-down my spine again to my tail bone. This I had done repeatedly making variations until I was one with the universe, literally viewing the light in front of me as if it was another planet together with other smaller lights around it.
Where it hurt, I would zoom in and out of the pain area for ten seconds, not only to the pelvic area, but to my ‘appendectomy and drain’ areas where a cut and a hole were made during my past and recent surgeries. The long vertical cut from my chest down the pelvic area was not an issue for, somehow, the light passed that way down and up, via my spine, on the way to my brain and to the source.
During “satsangs”, I was always arguing with my Brahmin guru, to which he would say with his praying hands in front, “forgive me”; I did not mean to offend you”. So, eventually, together with Betsy and the rest (the Philippines’ crème of the crop), we had several “satsangs” to eventually get initiated with a mantra.
I entered an almost empty room where my guru was seated at the center, meditating. About an arm’s length, I sat before him, likewise, in meditation stance. He asked, me, “what have you got to offer me?” I couldn’t think of anything else, so I thought of saying, “myself”? Right then and there, he slapped me, left and right, repeatedly and embraced me, and said, “you don’t just offer yourself?” I felt a burst of energy inside me right after he embraced me. Some serious talk between us transpired after which a “mantra” was whispered to my ears. When I got out, our meditation group reacted saying, “Glenn, what happened to you, you look like Moses coming down from mountain? Since then, I went on meditating until I achieved what Betsy called, “sanyasi”. Betsy told me that a ‘guru’ never touches or does not get touched – – much like Christ who was surprised and said, “who touched me?”, when somebody touched Him.
This resulted in a lot of things: I could drink almost a bottle of Johnny Walker without getting drunk, achieved some degree of clairvoyance, one of which was the downfall of the Marcos regime to which everybody laughed at me, at that time. I could tell ahead what a person would tell me and knew right away about his character. This experience made me fearful and feel uncomfortable with myself. So, I stopped. This decision crystallized when I met a missionary from the BF Homes tennis courts named, Ron Mangin. He knew right away something was bothering me. In short, he brought me back to Christ by giving Lorna and myself a regular Bible study at our place in BF Homes.
But, as you can see, I still meditate. I do meditate for I know how it works to use it for its other benefits. I now use it without a “mantra” not addressed to any other “gods”, but to and from a light source. I now believe in the health benefits of meditation.
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When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
(NIV – John 8:12)
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“WATER TEMPLE”
by Glenn A. Bautista
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January 1977 / Size:8″x10″ – An etching I did with Rey Rodriguez based on
Betsy Francia‘s poem, “Water Temple”
during the 1976 meditation years.
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Blogger glenlorndave said…
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Hi Enrique (you must be Elfie?
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Perhaps, you don’t remember me for you were still in your knee pants when I used to spend time with your dad, Henry and mom Betsy at your place in Mariposa and with other friends like Lynn Erba, Bobby Cuenca, Jorge Ortoll, Ramon Faustmann, Gina Camus, etc.
I am not sure you were around when we were all after a huge rat which we eventually caught using a “palangana” and a “sako”, which your dad Henry eliminated using his “bolo” outside the house.
Anyway, here’s a link to a print, entitled,”Water Temple” which I titled after your mom’s poem. She had a copy of this, and I hope you can find it at your place somewhere: https://glenlorndav.wordpress.com/2013/09/08/glenlorndave-bf-homes-gallery-studio-renovation-sept-2012/
Also, how do I get a copy of the book, “Imelda and the Clan”. I was the one who enhanced and printed all the photos featured in that book. Your dad helped complete my darkroom so I could work on this project in BF Homes.
Can I link your blog site to this etching so that people can read about your stories about your mom Betsy? Missing your Mom Betsy and Dad Henry too. Take care, God bless. – Tito Glenn (Bautista)
October 22, 2013 at 11:15 AM
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Related active title: Kegel exercises for men
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When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
(NIV – John 8:12)
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My 10/22/2013 Health Report:
The somehow cool room temperature of 74F woke me up around 3 AM so I adjusted it to warm up a bit to 77F. As usual, I woke up shortly before 5:30 AM but right away decided to take my blood pressure reading – – instead of sitting and resting before taking one. Anyway, of the two BP readers, the old instrument read 156/101 and the new instrument read 157/94. Now which one should I believe? Of course, many factors contribute in between readings. For one, although I do a bit of walking, pitching and stretching, I have not been doing gym work and have missed golfing for two days now.
After repeating the same process of meditation I did yesterday morning – from a little after 5:30AM until around 6:00 AM, the old instrument gave me the reading of 153/89 (from 156/101), and the new instrument 145/92 (from 157/94). Not much difference, really but a decrease in blood pressure is quite apparent.
The culprit, perhaps – – yesterday, from breakfast to dinner, somehow I indulged a bit in eating meat. I had three pieces of “pork w/ veggies lumpiang shanghai” for breakfast, tuna sandwich with a lot of mayonnaise for lunch, and bacon & ham w/ veggies “Subway” sandwich for dinner – that was after a long drive from Lorna’s work to the shopping area of Houston, TX, and back to our place. On top of that, I did not take any of the usual supplements I used to take. This is Glenn, reporting live from my San Melia room / 4th floor. (6:51 AM, Wednesday, October 23, 2013)
10/23/2013 – It is now 9:19 AM and I have not had breakfast. After repairing my “orthotics” for my feet, perhaps for an hour since I came in from Ben Taub hospital where Lorna works, I did a bit of pitching, walking and stretching exercises. My “neuroma” on my left foot seems to manifest a bit more since I have been practicing that past days and pitching at the living room. It’s not that bad but it’s better to do something before it worsens. After the repair, I took 4 drops of Magnascent Iodine mixed with 2 oz. of water. Now, I am here in front of my laptop reporting to you whiling away time in preparation for breakfast. Although it is not really good to take frequent BP readings, I will do one now while not rested, out of curiosity.
Wow, 156/94 –pulse, 60 using the old instrument. I will take the next reading with the new instrument after a while, or perhaps after I have breakfast since I have been feeling hungry since I came in. Okay, I’ll prepare for breakfast.
I had Honey-strawberry Greek yoghurt with seedless grapes from “Whole Foods”. Just yesterday, Lorna chose, for the first time a kind of sausage that is supposed to be good for the health. It has less meat but more’ veggies’ and herbs. I liked its taste and ate it with chili sauce, tomato sauce with garlic and basil, and of course, with Japanese rice. Now, I will take my BP reading again with my new reader.
Oops, now the new BP reader doesn’t work. Perhaps, I placed two old batteries the other day. Well, I’d settle for the old reader. Here’s its read:
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Well, since it is still quite high, I have decided to take my usual BP medication. I normally take my BP medication every other day, for If daily, my BP reading gets too low. On to golf, much later – – perhaps, with Wendell.
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October 28, 2013
Since I have resumed gym work or brisk walking either around the compound or at the Hermann Park earth path/trail, my blood pressure has completely normalized. Well, I guess, I will just continue to regularly eat healthy, exercise and meditate. Stay healthy!
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FYI.. What a sweet comment on your interview below. Just wanted to share it with you. I hope you are doing well. How is your health? Have you seen a doctor lately? Wondering how your bloodwork is doing with no chemo. I want you to beat it naturally. I want to beat my thing also so please keep me updated.Sending our love…..
My Dear Glenn,
I’m speechless and tearful right now – with unspeakable joy – after reading and digesting every word in your priceless, treasure-filled gems of truth interview with Byron. What great spiritual insights! What deep and steady faith! God is rejoicing in heaven. You have finally discovered His life plan for you and you are fulfilling it. More so, God is enabling you to do it. Isn’t He so wonderful???
Adversities, trials in life sometimes God does allow to come into our lives to strengthen our spiritual muscles and to draw us closer to Him. You have become God’s agent wherever He has planted you. God is smiling down on you. Tatay and Nanay too! And of course, the whole family too!!!You have truly evolved into a beautiful butterfly – your wings always flapping spreading the seeds of God’s love, grace and salvation for all. Keep it up, keep faith dear brother. You’re very safe in God’s loving hands!!!!With Kuya Fil, Willy and Carol, we love you very much! Same to Lorna and David.Always praying for you and our family daily,Ate Necy—On Thu, Oct 17, 2013 at 11:49 AM, Byron King wrote:Thanks for the inspiration. I compiled these thoughts into:I responded on my comments for the post. Really makes me think.I am still befuddled by sacred geometry. I is indeed all I need to know there is a God.Best to you my friend.Be well. So glad you have shared with me while we both find our way from point a to b.cheers,bk
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Christ, Center of All Things –
by Glenn A. Bautista
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PATMOS Interviews Glenn A. Bautista / Portrait of the Artist /1976
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G L E N N A N G E L E S B A U T I S T A
‘AN ARTIST PAINTS IN SEARCH OF HIMSELF’
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Born in 1947, G l e n n B a u t i s t a is one of the youngest Filipino painters to have achieved an international reputation. His was the unusual experience of having his very first painting win an international contest – – – the Christmas Art Contest sponsored by World Literacy and Christian Literature in New York in 1964. From a very early age, being raised in the home of a Methodist minister – he faced the question of the relation of art to Christianity.
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(Recently the Patmos editors asked him about his art and his faith.)
Q: How do you understand your role as an artist in relation to the society you live in?
A: Whether we like it or not, we relate to society, at least, financially. I have made quite a number of exhibitions of my art work, what I sold I had to live with until the next show. I think it is likely that if I get too rich and profitable, I might become lazy.
Q: Do any of these considerations really count?
A: Well, it’s like this. Every human on earth has a role to play. As for me, I’m drowned by visions, by things I see, things I imagine – like ideas in art. These visions and ideas just come into my head. I have to let these thoughts out in the most effective form of expression I continue to discover. That’s the role I believe I have as an artist. Money is only a tool to allow me to express myself in art – to express what I have inside of me, creatively and meaningfully.
Q: Some have said that it is too easy to become successful in this country because there is not a strong critical tradition: would you say that is true?
A: It is too easy to fool the public. There are true statements in art and there are false statements. This is one task I have to work out and realize for myself. Whenever I do something, I do something new. I never go back to re-do what I have already done. I keep on changing. People cannot pinpoint something and say this is Glenn Bautista.
Q: Is it a temptation to keep painting something when you have found that it sells?
A: Yes, but I don’t paint to sell or paint because it sells. How can I do that? I’ll be violating myself.
Q: But how do you perceive your role in society?
A: Honestly, as an artist I do not think about society. I just bring out what is in me. I don’t know how that would affect society or patrons of art. An artist just expresses himself, learns from himself and continues to make an effort to understand himself. He paints not to make a statement, but is always in search of himself much like the show I had “In Search of the Divine”. Long before this show, I had talks with my father who is a Methodist minister. More often than not, we conflict in our ideas and lifestyles.
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Q: Does he appreciate art?
A: Oh yes, but his appreciation is on the spiritual level. If anything I did was related to spiritual matters – about God, the Bible, the church, and especially to help propagate Christ, he would be very happy about it. And they have to express a message. Of course, I understand this now much better than I did before. It was merely self-expression and transfer of thought from a book or an idea to a canvas. It was mere execution. There was no spiritual involvement with the work. I was just a kid.
I would struggle to perceive my father’s message and I would try and visualize it with a painting. Often he would come up with several interpretations of my work. I can only understand them when he explains them to me. That’s how I got started. Those were very good and interesting experiences I had with my father.
Q: How did you come to understand things differently?
A: When I really began to relate my work with everything that I am. I became totally involved with my work.
Q: How would you describe this tension with your father over lifestyle?
A: During the time I lived with him, whenever I did any painting, I knew that he would appreciate it if it was religious. So, it was not “art for art’s sake. Now I don’t know the difference. I think art’s essence and Christ’s teachings are the same in truth, beauty and harmony. So whatever I do in art is Christian and religious.
Q: In what sense are they religious, say, if they have nothing to do with the Church?
A: Some basic doctrinal statements from different ideologies may fit into some Christian ideology -such as good and evil. Personally, I believe Christian doctrine defines everything as defined by Christ Himself, because Christ is everything. So, whatever we do is basically Christian. I think about the Christ my father preached about. When I was a kid we would meet every Saturday and argue. I didn’t have any personal relationship with Christ then. Time came, on my own I had to search other religions and cults only to end up embracing what Christ has long offered us – true salvation, everlasting joy, peace, and life.
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Q: Does that show in your exhibition” In Search of the Divine?” Was that a part of your own personal search?
A: Yes
Q: Do you ever sit down and try to do something particularly Christian . .Christian symbols?
A: I have no fixed assumptions when I paint, I let go. I’m more involved with the process – and that’s it.
Q: Who have been some of your important influences? You studied here?
A: I took my first year at UST. Then I decided to move to UP where I finished Advertising. Finally, I took a two-year course at Brooks Institute of Fine Arts in Santa Barbara, California.
Q: Were you influenced by art in California?
A: I was really too busy to go out and see what others were doing.
Q: You were not interested in what others were doing?
A: No, I was interested in my own thoughts. Maybe when I was younger, looking around, I was stimulated, but no direct influence.
Q: You never keep any of your work?
A: No. I did not get attached to my work then nor did I tend to go back. I just wanted to go forward.
Q: If you didn’t get paid for your work and you knew no one would look at it, would you continue to work?
A: Oh, yes. That has happened to me. I have had shows where not one painting was sold. I just kept going. Maybe I would be sad if I find myself working for somebody one day. Where I am at now is setting up a workshop with all my materials where I can say or do whatever I want.
Q: You have made some commitment to Christ, is there any way you express this in terms of a fellowship?
A: That’s a natural thing for me. When I’m finished with my work, I see my friends. I visit them. We talk about things that matter. That’s how I have fellowship with others. I don’t have a schedule when I do that. I talk to the Father. I am in communication with him every day.
Q: Do you work with other artists? – – that Saturday group?
A: I know all of them, but I prefer not to work with artists. Sometimes I have craftsmen working with me.
We can work intimately together.
Q: There is never a time when you say: I’m going to do a religious painting?
A: I’m just expressing ideas – they belong to God. I cannot define a literal interpretation of the Christian life or doctrine in painting, nor can I define experience too. When I was younger, I was healed by a faith healer, Bob McAlister. I was allergic to eggs. He prayed over me one night and made me eat eggs. My allergies manifested again after eating those eggs. However, since then I have had no problems.
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Interior Pix – GlenLornDav Gallery-Studio
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Interior Pix – GlenLornDav Gallery-Studio – Part 3
Photography / David Cruz Bautista
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(click images to enlarge and hover mouse to read captions)
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Video: Window Screen – -> GlenLornDav Art Gallery /
BF Homes, Paranaque City
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Art Talk/Exhibit – Easter Sunrise Service Houston Trinity UMC
by glenn.angeles.bautista
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Easter Sunrise Service
Houston Trinity United Methodist Church
Katy, Texas April 3, 2010 / 9:30AM
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Lorna and I were already up and about early Saturday morning for our trip to Katy, Texas. We left shortly before 10AM for Katy taking freeways I-45 N and I-10 W. In less than an hour, we arrived at Pastor Butch Ramirez’s residence just to discover that nobody was home.
Anyway, I called him by cell phone to find out that he was at the Houston Trinity UMC preparing for the Easter Sunrise Service. In less than 10 minutes, he was waving at us from his place when we were coming back from a stroll, stretching/limbering our legs and bodies from the not too long a trip from Houston to Katy.
Not too long from then, we found ourselves at the kitchen talking, drinking coffee, tea, eating home-made “suman” (rice cake), courtesy of Obed, their Filipino cook prepared by wife, Lerree whom Pastor calls “dahl”, maybe a shortcut of “darling”, hehe. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the church to have an ocular of the place where I would conduct my “Art Talk/Exhibit”. We then arranged the long tables and chairs for my art presentation.
Headed back home to print my message for Easter and didn’t have to eat dinner since we had several pieces of chicken at the church that late afternoon. Anyway, the next day Sunday, we left their residence by 5:30AM for the Easter Sunrise Service at Houston Trinity United Methodist Church.
Before I knew it, I had already delivered my message and conducted my “Art Talk/Exhibit”. It was a fun Easter day spent with a majority of Filipino congregation and a few Americans. We stayed around at church until 4 PM just chatting with a few friends and headed back home to Houston.
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Badong Ramirez (68) – Apr 5, 2010
Glenn, in behalf of the Houston Trinity UMC and the First Filipino-American UMC, please accept our gratitude for accepting our invitation for you to preach in our Joint Easter Sunrise Service. Salamat na rin for making a presentation of your art works to us. We were all impressed by your works and your desire to share it with us, free of charge.
May the Lord continue to bless your God-given gift of art, preaching, and music. I was surprised to know and hear Glenn playing the piano with ease.
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Glenn’s 2nd Message @ Houston Trinity UMC
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April 18, 2010 – 10:30 AM
Pastor Butch Ramirez of the Houston Trinity United Methodist Church invited me to speak again for the April 18, 2010 10:30 AM Service after he learned that the the manuscript I had for the April 4 (Easter Sunrise Service / 6 AM) was not at all sourced nor read by me since my message turned out to be more extemporaneous than verbatim. But, again, I couldn’t help but just eyeball-speak to the congregation for whenever I tried reading from my prepared manuscript, I felt distanced from the congregation, enough to make me feel that I would lose contact with them. So, although nothing of my previous message was repeated, I started and ended delivering an extemporaneous message, again. This brought laughter both to me and Pastor Butch Ramirez when I got seated with him after my message that morning.
So, Pastor Ramirez hinted that perhaps the best I can do for any next message I will have to deliver would just to have outlined “cues” just to guide me in making an extemporaneous speech. Well, I guess this is what I will do the next time I am asked to give a message for my future audience.
I found out one thing though – – that is, that I do enjoy communicating my thoughts to an audience especially when it comes to sharing with them my experiences as an artist in the past and recent years that I have been in solitude. After the morning service, we stayed on at the church for breakfast and interacted with the young and adult members of Houston Trinity UMC. After a while, Lorna asked me to drive her to Costco for shopping.
By 4 PM we were done with Costco and proceeded to Pastor Butch and Lerree’s place for our UHS reunion. The photos above are a few that Lorna and I have taken using my Motorola Droid cell phone. I took a lot of videos too and may upload them as soon as I am able to. Again, I thank the Ramirez family and Houston Trinity UMC and my high school mates for making April 18, 2010 a very memorable and enjoyable Sunday. On our way home a strong rain kept us entertained via freeways I-10 and I-45. In less than an hour Lorna and I were home, safe. Thank you Lord for that blessed day spent on the other, western side of Houston, Texas!
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Glenn’s CyberArtPages 1963 – 2013 on . .
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C O M P L E T E L I S T
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Bloglist Titles:
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ARTWORKS:
Excerpts on my ART / by Glenn Bautista
“EMBERS”, a mural by UPCFA art student, Glenn A. Bautista
Portraits by Glenn (1965-2002)
Digital-Analog Collage/Drawing
2009-10 Colorado Pastels by Glenn A. Bautista
Meditation – “In Search of the Divine”
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PHOTOGRAPHY:
Life’s Insectscapes & Bob Dylan
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ACTIVITIES:
Art Talk/Exhibit – Easter Sunrise Service Houston Trinity UMC
Rtn. Dir.”Glenn” meets w/ College-friend PP “Sue” again
On Cleaning / Repairing Kawai Piano, etc . . .
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PUBLICATIONS:
A Foreword by My Beloved Ninong “Ernie” Salas
Glenn’s CyberArtPages 1963 – 2013 on . .
TXSBN Press Releases 2013 / Visual Artist – Glenn A. Bautista
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INTERVIEWS:
PATMOS Interviews Glenn A. Bautista / Portrait of the Artist /1976
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RESEARCH:
On Filipino Tribal Tools, Weaponry, Instruments & Writings
Some Casual Thoughts behind “The Ideal Filipino Community”
The Ideal Filipino Community by Glenn Bautista
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GLENLORNDAV / GALLERIES:
Interior Pix – GlenLornDav Gallery-Studio
GlenLornDav-Gallery Renov / BautistaFam Reunion-Sept ’12
Pix / BF Gallery-Studio Renovation / Sept ’12
On Cleaning / Repairing Kawai Piano, etc . . .
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FRIENDS:
Ma’s Concern, CAFAsingers & Gentle Rain (ALM-BLM) / ’63-’69
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EDUCATION:
My UP (Peyups) Days / 1964-69 & Kunstakademie/Guest Student / 1980-85
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Pix / BF Gallery-Studio Renovation / Sept ’12
On Filipino Tribal Tools, Weaponry, Instruments & Writings
(Click on images, underlined active titles to view)
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Byron: Glenn, when I was speaking of religion in the Philippines, I was speaking about the indigenous people’s original belief system. There were many. Before the Philippines were taken from the native peoples. I’m sure they were more like the native American religions. Interesting . . .
http://asiapacificuniverse.com/pkm/spirit.htm
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Glenn: Byron, I’ve gone through the article from the link you sent to me, but I guess, this requires much research and time for me to presently get into. I can only speak of my brief meeting with the Tagbanua tribe in Palawan when I stayed for half a year in Narra, a few hours north of Puerto Princesa. My brief meeting with the tribe was not really that significant. An anthropologist- friend, Israel Cabanilla, who used to work with Robert Fox mentioned to me quite a number of stories of his encounters with a few unknown tribes. Of those tribes already known, they by now, dress, behave, think and live almost the same as the rest of the lower classes of our society, although not in a similar habitat. They cater to the needs of residents and tourists around their areas. I had met with one tribe in Palawan numbering around 14 members. Our meeting was brief and I was not at all interested in documenting and exposing them, lest they become like the rest of us. I did a bit of doodles about their tools, weapons, clay pots, instruments and basketry. In general, most of the tribes my friend knew of, and those I met were gentle people. The only danger my friend once encountered was when a ritual dance was done in his presence to clarify his status with the tribe, that is, if the half-cut neck and head of a chicken shifts left, he would be an ‘enemy’ of the tribe, and when it shifts right, he would be a ‘friend’.
Members of the tribe, according to my friend, use a similar instrument which they call, “saluray”, made of bamboo where long and short string-like skin of the bamboo are wedged out to create sound when plucked, much like banging a guitar. However, what makes this instrument more interesting is, when played in real life as a ritual, it is used to dance with while crossing a ‘bonfire’ numerous times, while beating the saluray on to their chests, chanting until they hallucinate. Of course, some forms of drug, or “betel nut” may be taken to enhance the ritualistic dance.
This is somehow, indicative of how a tribe copes up with decision making, based on an induced natural phenomenon. Somehow, nature, or its behavior is their basis both for their physical and spiritual longings. So, the elements: fire, water, earth, air, wind, sun are always there for them to react to and make use of the best way they can. Along the way, superstitious beliefs are formed and they are too many to mention, passed on from one generation to another.
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My correspondence with Wawi , a great young visual artist, is the reason why we have these cyber-pages of my research on Filipino phonetic-syllabic handwriting. I had to go back to the some stories behind for the readers to understand the significance of such exquisite handwriting, which topic got initiated upon Wawi’s invitation to a lecture on the Mangyan tribe.
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And this page I am writing about started just because of my 11 year old son’s urgent desire to communicate solely with his intimate friends in school to avoid being understood by his other classmates who do not really belong to their so-called “culture”. At first, it was my German book that he tried to learn and share with his friends but, proving to be too difficult and taking too long to learn, David thought of other ways to communicate which would not require so much study and research. He was starting to make his own drawings, alphabets and icons that may only be associated with his group, but finally stopped in desperation in achieving his goal and shifted his interest to “rock climbing”. Here’re his leftovers and a few notes I did in Palawan and at the National Museum.
So far, I have not heard of any effort done by the government, nor any of our scholars of the vernacular or national dialect which is Tagalog, to digitally transform the original Tagalog Phonetic/Syllabic to digital icons that may have their applications to the present confused Filipino society. My experience tells me that truly, these original Pre-Hispanic alphabets can have their present applications for I had used this Tagalog handwriting to communicate with my ex-German wife, writing each other in Tagalog, English and German, for writing the sounds of any language with these Tagalog Phonetic/Syllabic Alphabets is what makes it work and be understood.
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My correspondence with Wawi Navarroza:
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an amazing young visual artist, is the reason why I decided to feature some pages from my brief research on Filipino Phonetic-Syllabic Handwriting on this site.
For the readers to understand the significance of such exquisite handwritings, I had to unravel some stories behind this calligraphy which topic got initiated upon Wawi’s invitation to her lecture on the Mangyan tribe.
wawinavarroza wrote on Jan 18, ’06:
“Discovering this page is like unearthing some ancient forgotten relic, Glenn! Thanks so much really for sharing the information. Now that the scripts and characters are here, I can start writing secret messages and poems and posting it on public places”.
Salamat.
Wawi
glenlorn wrote on Jan 18, ’06:
“u r wlcm . . my dir frnd, ur kin ntres on dis orig pnoy rytings hs smhw stimultd me 2 re-lern dem n do frdr reserch, tnx 2. . in tym i wl b abl 2 tch u d aplctns”
you see, wawi present texting is like how the early ‘pinoys’ wrote to express themselves, that is, phonetically . . d, ba? – – but writing again, at present, with such beautiful Pinoy icons cannot be less fulfilling but will perhaps bring back the Pinoy’s lost identity, also similar to shorthand, only I don’t know how, do you?
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Unlike my father, David’s grandfather (now at the hospital in Los Angeles, CA, struggling with his life) , who writes much like the Mangyan tribe with his diagonal and straight line handwriting, David and I opted to depart from the syllabic, phonetic writings of the Tagbanua tribe admiring the seemingly romantic, soft and rounded strokes of their handwriting. David’s ability to adapt the chosen syllabic symbols to his needs and eventually to my needs too, led to a new form of syllabic / phonetic writing which at the present moment, only David and I can understand. We’ve decided to call it an international form of writing because our revision from the Tagbanua’s handwriting may be used to write any international language or local dialect provided that they make sounds.
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David’s Undecoded Alphabet
David’s reluctance to share this with others, other than his close friends, has created a new conflict between us. Time will tell whether I can share this new handwriting with others for, at the moment, I am inclined not to disappoint David. The inscriptions featured here were the first syllabic writings David attempted to share with his group. He has done many more but likes this version the most. ”I kinda like it too.” If you are interested in learning it, please write to David for I know he’s bound to change his mind.
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It had been hoped to include a translation of this script in the exhibit (an excellent translation has been provided by Prof. Guillermo Tolentino); however it was thought best to withhold publication of the translation until Prof. Tolentino and others have had more opportunity to study the text at length.
The translation, according to the National Museum will be included in a special publication. The vessel on which the writing is found is of the type of the earthenware found at Calatagan which has been name KAY TOMAS PLAIN, and was found with porcelains of the 14th and 15th centuries. Thus, the object may be dated from this period.
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(9-6-2013) I searched the internet, just now and got this: http://www.omniglot.com/writing/tagalog.htm
Some years back, I got to meet a certain Frederick who did much research on “Tagalog Syllabic-Phonetic Writing” which I documented using the Multiply.com site. Now that Multiply changed its format, all my precious documentation just disappeared. Saving all those images and texts were next to impossible.
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Saluray / Tribal Tools / Instruments
Everyday tools or instruments, e.g.: clay, bamboo, brass, iron, etc. . used by the Filipino minority tribes have a direct influence on how these tribes develop their handwriting.
If you compare the handwritings of the Tagbanua tribe of Palawan with that of the Mangyan tribe of Oriental Mindoro, one would notice a distinct variance in the manner their syllabic symbols are written. The Tagbanua’s affinity to clay as their material for expression – – for their basic needs like food and shelter, and even for their culture, has left us considerable amount of evidence that it is primarily because of the abundance of the material they use that led them to a kind of flexible and rounded type of handwriting and a quiet type of expression in their arts and crafts, earthenwares and weaponry.
Unlike the Tagbanuas, the Mangyans lavished in the use of bamboo as a material for expression which, at present, are still manifested in their manner of voting using the bamboo. Unlike the Tagbanuas, they can only make straight and semi-circular lines using a wedge or a knife to inscribe their syllabic writing on bamboo.
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“from glenn to glenn”
(double click any image or underlined bold titles to view)
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Dear Family / Friends,
“GlennsCyberArtPages” is an online diary that will include commentaries on my past and recent artworks, activities and insights on just about anything under the sun.
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“Glenn Bautista’s Early works, and 150 Recent Pastels in the USA“,
includes excerpts, images and narratives from my handwritten diary,
“From Glenn’s Childhood to David’s Childhood –1947-2013″
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David, the ‘apple of our eyes’ went on to fascinate Lorna and me, even while he was yet a toddler. He wasn’t like a baby doing ‘baby talk’. He was almost right away talking, as if he was a teenager. Most likely, he got this from his very eloquent Mama Lorna. It couldn’t be from me for I have always been shy and timid, an introvert and one who loves solitude. Also, only if you had the chance to shake hands with David, his grip was amazingly strong and hands a bit rough. Even, at this early age, David already started appreciating things from nature.
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For one, daily, he would watch a caterpillar he found that we placed inside a screened bird cage together with the ‘ficus’ food plant including the twigs and leaves that it could feed on and hang on to. I cannot forget David’s surprised big eyes opened when the caterpillar came out from the cocoon as an amazing, colorful butterfly. It was a long-tail butterfly that David found. This experience had a great influence on David’s spirituality, which later on, he began to understand better as I had explained in this video, please click on the active title:
Uncle Glenn Remembering Tatay & Nanay
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An Art Review by John Altomonte- . The more I open up to the influence of each artwork, the deeper I go within myself…that is why I call the experience ‘spiritual’. I become aware that the harmonic vibrations that these art pieces emanate can actually change how I interact with the reality of the physical world outside my body. By observing this shift in consciousness I can also begin to understand how Glenn interacts with shapes found in nature. Knowing him as a deeply spiritual man, I can assume that these works are contemplative, at the same time essentially musical and therefore hymn like in presentation as consciousness drifts in and out of the framework in measured cadences. These are indeed, very beautifully inspiring work done by an artist who is expressing something which comes from a very special place within himself.” . – John Altomonte / Darwin, Australia March 2011
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Two Letters from Glenn
. Dearest Family & Friends,
These “CyberArtPages” share with you a little bit about me, my early works and my recent soft pastels I have created while in Texas, California and Colorado since my arrival here in the United States last May 2009. It also includes links to images of people I have met and includes short narratives I have written about the places I have visited as I searched for inspiration to create my artworks. Art and life go together. They are inseparable. It is much like asking which one came first – – the chicken or the egg. As you go through this book you will really begin to understand why. ART is a vehicle in and through which we can look at things that touch our hearts and open our minds to fully comprehend what life around us is all about. The Lord’s infinite and constant goodness has inspired me to write this book, coupled with the inspiration from my adored wife Lorna and our beloved son David. Since I stepped on US soil in May 2009, Lorna and I felt so much closer to God despite our physical separation from our son David. We will always be thankful to Him for His unceasing and faithful protection, provision, guidance, wisdom and understanding of our circumstances during this time of our life. I earnestly encourage you to share this book with your family and friends. Only artwork that is devotedly created and sincerely appreciated has truly completed its full cycle. The creative expression of one’s thoughts and emotions through art brings about the sublime things of life, uplifting and inspiring us from the things that pull us down, helping us to understand the things around us, both seen and unseen, things that do matter in life that seem to escape us while we try to survive on this our planet Earth. Do not hesitate to connect with me online for any inquiries about learning more about my art or even learning how to draw or paint. I will be most happy to provide you guidance and direction.
God bless.
– glenn.angeles.bautista
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Dearest Family & Friends, I treasure the privilege and the blessing of my physical existence on this part of the universe called Mother Earth – to have the rare opportunity to feel, sense, touch and taste what this physical life can offer. Yet, these physical sensations are nothing to compare with the majestic splendor of what our loving Creator has prepared for us. I thank God with all my heart for the total life experiences I have been blessed with and for the assurance of an everlasting life with Christ Jesus, my Lord and Savior. I am resting on His great promise when He said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would not have told you”.
(John 14:2)
– glenn.angeles.bautista
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GLENN A. BAUTISTA was born on March 20, 1947 in Orion, Bataan, a province in Central Luzon, Philippines made infamous by the 1942 Bataan Death March. Glenn is the seventh of nine children in the family, all reared in the faith tradition of the United Methodist Church. His mother Eugenia Angeles was a deaconess, and his father, the Rev. Ignacio P. Bautista, was church minister for 39 years.
Glenn completed his education in Manila: his elementary education at the Sta. Ana Elementary School (1959); secondary education at the Union High School of Manila (1963); and college at the University of Santo Thomas (UST), the oldest existing university in Asia, and at the University of the Philippines (UP), the country’s national university and premier institution of higher learning. In 1969, he completed a certificate course in Advertising at the UP College of Fine Arts where he was a consistent university scholar. In 1971, Glenn received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, California, USA. He then went to Germany in 1982 to pursue further studies in lithography at the Staatliche Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. Glenn now resides in Houston, Texas, USA with his wife Lorna, a physiotherapist and food expert. Their son and only child David, drummer/percussionist of the band Southwind, is in the Philippines completing his undergraduate studies.
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Body of work
Glenn’s art has been variously described as impressionistic, surreal, or futuristic. But as much as his art defies neat categorization, the artist himself evidently eccentric, Glenn Bautista is without doubt a master of the visual arts, proof of which is his extensive body of work. He has done paintings in oil and pastel, sketches on hand-made cogon-abaca paper, watercolours, collages, airbrush murals, street rubbings, bas-reliefs, cut-outs and sculptures, lithographs using the litho-press that he himself constructed, photography and videography, digital art, and even interactive net art. Glenn also successfully completed a personal architectural project, Glenn’Studio, which not only demonstrates his versatility and multidimensionality as an artist but also erected an enduring embodiment of his views and values on art and life. Located in Imus, Cavite, Philippines, Glenn’Studio houses the artist’s 300 Personal Artwork Collection, which includes pieces dating back to 1963 as well as current works. For over four decades, Glenn has created art with hardly a pause. His oeuvre to date features the following major works and themes:
- Religious paintings in oil
- Bocobo Mural (on permanent display at the UP Law Center; printed as Philippine postage stamp)
- Rizal Monument / pen-and-ink (1966-67)
- Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo Centennial Mural (1969)
- Sketches Series (1965-82)
- Portraits (1967-80)
- Inner-Light Series (1975)
- Prudential Bank, Makati branch / Mural (1975)
- In Search of the Divine (1976)
- Lithographs and Etchings (1976-85)
- Nude Pastels (1970-79)
- Art Photos (1980-82)
- Pencil Pastel Drawings (1981-91)
- Cogon-Abaca Drawings (1981-82)
- Zenscapes (1980-81)
- Cut-Outs (1980-85)
- Collages-Rubbings (1980-02)
- Soft Pastel Compositions (1981-87)
- Pilipinas / Philippine Consulate, Düsseldorf, Germany (1983)
- Creation Photo Series (1982-88)
- Bas-Reliefs (1984)
- Nature & Technology / Cosmic-Futuristic Compositions (1981-91)
- Watercolors (1982-88)
- Sculptures (1980-90)
- Cut / Torn / Folded works in paper (1989)
- New Earth Series (1985-91)
- Golfscapes / Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club (1994-97)
- Abstractions in Oil (1993-98)
- Christian Art (1965-95)
- Digital Art Series (2002-2003)
- Figurescapes (2003)
- (Biblecomps (2004)
- Heaven & Earth Series / Large-format Oils (2005-08)
- Pastels in Texas, USA
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Glenn’s Journey as an Artist
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Glenn’s art is fundamentally grounded on the principles of the Christian faith, due in great measure to his being raised in, as he would say, “my old folks’ religion”. Much of his work is permeated with religious symbolism reflective of a deep personal piety. His early paintings dwelt on commonplace objects infused with Christian symbols and images. But while he started as a painter of portraits and religious subjects in the mid-1960s, Glenn through the years has produced works that explore diverse themes, forms and media. They bear marks of his sojourns, either to remote places in the Philippines or farther westward to the US, Spain, Germany or other parts of Europe, or inward to his inner light.
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A watershed ‘event’ – The Event (tempera on board), 1965. First Prize, International Christmas Art Competition, 1964/1965 World’s Fair, New York, N.Y., U.S.A. (©WLCL – World Literacy and Christian Literature, NCC 475 Riverside Drive, New York, N.Y. 10027. Printed in the U.S.A.) The turning point in his journey as an artist came in 1964 when, at the young age of 17 and encouraged by his father, Glenn participated in the International Christmas Art Competition sponsored by the New York-based World Literacy and Christian Literature organization. Submitted artworks were to be exhibited at the 1964/1965 World’s Fair in New York. Out of 64 entries from all over the world, Glenn’s The Event was declared winner. Soon afterward he received his check for the prize money and boxes of printed Christmas cards all bearing his artwork. Glenn never looked back since then. He knew painting would be his vocation, and he pursued it with a passion and dedication characteristic only of an artist destined to be a master. The Event served as the seminal work of Glenn’s art. In his biography, art critic Alice Guillermo writes: “Although Glenn Bautista later turned to other subjects and themes, there always lingered a trace of the religious in his paintings, either visually, as a solitary Christ figure in unfamiliar landscapes, or as a mood in mystical or supernatural atmosphere.”
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Painting History
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First solo exhibit
Following years of painting religious and historical subjects and a string of group exhibitions, Glenn finally had a chance to mount his first one-man show at the Ateneo Art Gallery in Quezon City, courtesy of curator Emmanuel Torres. Entitled Inscapes, the exhibition was held in August 1969 after his graduation from the UP College of Fine Arts. Dealing with commonplace subjects, Inscapes marked a new stage of development in Glenn’s art, paving the way for one of his more important works, the Inner Light Series.
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Crusade scholarship
A year later, in 1970, Glenn went to the United States as a Crusade Scholar of the United Methodist Church. There he continued his art studies at the Brooks Institute School of Fine Art in Santa Barbara, California.
After two years of study, and upon the invitation of curator Ronald Kuchta, Glenn joined John Cushing and Stephen Samerjan for a Group Art Exhibition at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Their show coincided with the retrospective exhibition of Impressionist master Childe Hassam. Glenn’s works, which received critical praise, consisted of abstractions in diptychs and triptychs done with the airbrush, one of which, entitled Diptych, is now part of the museum’s art collection. His participation at the group exhibit earned him a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (major in Painting) with honors. .
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“Laskey Mural”
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“Abstractions” (1970)
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Glenn A. Bautista / Recipient of the Thirteen Artists Award
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“In Search of the Divine” ( 1976)
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Mastering Lithography
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Glenn’s art in the eyes of…
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Carlos P. Romulo, WORLD STATESMAN AND AUTHOR “… I looked admiringly at your 41 paintings one by one, and I can see how, while you do not wholly dispense with the object, you reconstitute it in accordance with a rhythm that you yourself determine and not derived from the object. In your aesthetic you do not concern yourself with creating fully realized forms for the sake of either ontological significance or realistic modeling; instead you successfully created structures composed of smaller elements, the planes, which in their juxtaposition, superimposition, or mingling produce a complex and pervasive rhythm which could not but win my admiration. … I believe you are destined to be one of our greatest in painting.” – March 22, 1971
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Alice G. Guillermo, ART CRITIC “Total and spontaneous creativity is the principle that moves Glenn Bautista, wide-ranging artist who resist tested formulas and whose prodigious work in diverse media, two-and-three-dimensional, builds a universe of striking, haunting images that continually tease and challenge the mind. If landscapes, his paintings do not have the placidity and finality of familiar land-and-sky vistas but have the uncommon quality of concealing and revealing at the same time. If abstracts, his work, never facile, poses riddles and enigmas that resist categorical answers. If three-dimensional works, they defy conventional expectations in order to extend the meaning and experience of sculpture. …In time, it became clear that the art of Glenn Bautista is not one for the academically conservative and tradition-bound. Rather, it extends an invitation to the adventurous, being avant-garde in a quite inconspicuous way.” – 1997
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Richard Ames, SANTA BARBARA NEWS PRESS (CALIFORNIA, USA) “Most of Glenn’s images seem to take place in a gigantic basement, a science-fiction subterranean world where lumber and metal pipes glow with a pulsating inner light. Here are remnants of today’s world seen with surreal imagination. It is pretty, pink, yellow, red and green pastel-colored vision of glowing growing crystals. Faucets, gigantic pencils, wood, cement blocks, metals and rocks are transformed into phantasies of purity, clarity and wonder.” – March 26, 1972
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Paul B. Zafaralla, ART CRITIC “Originality is fast becoming synonymous with the name of Glenn A. Glenn. The first time he gained public notice, it was with his large murals about history at the University of the Philippines…. Since his graduation, he has been continually treating the art public with highly provocative artworks—aesthetically and intellectually—making it known to all that the human mind, particularly his, is capable of infinite creativity, even to the point of rendering art theories inutile. And gifted as he is with a deft hand, he has established an identity all his own, making himself as one of the few significant artists of the decade.” – December 26, 1976
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Justin “Tiny” Nuyda, ARTIST-FRIEND “Difficult to understand and impossible to contain, the rapture, anguish and character genius of Glenn Bautista flow from oil painting, pastel and pencil drawing, photography, architectural design, lithography and to theoretical experimentations. He purposely leaves much to the imagination, which often enters the domain of mental bewilderment. His evocation of this very special terrain is so strong that art critics unanimously say Glenn Bautista is always eccentric.” – 1997
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Internationally distinguished statesman Carlos P. Romulo, then the Philippines’ foreign affairs secretary, wrote to Glenn Bautista on 22 March 1971 following his one-man exhibition, “Glenn’s Works in Transparencies”, at the Savoy-Hyatt Hotel in Manila, which the Secretary ribbon-cut. He mailed the letter to the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts where Glenn completed a course in advertising. Alice G. Guillermo, The Uncommon Art of Glenn Bautista (Quezon City: E. L. Salas, 1997) ISBN 9719179503, p6,10
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Awards and recognition:
- 1965-67 – University Scholar, Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines
- 1965-67 – Art Scholar, Children’s Museum and Library Inc., University of the Philippines
- 1965-67 – College Scholar, College of Fine Arts, University of the Philippines
- 1970-72 – Scholar, Honors, Brooks Institute of Fine Arts, Santa Barbara, California, Crusade Scholarships of the United Methodist Church, New York, U.S.A.
- 1964 December – First Prize, “The Event” (tempera), International Christmas Art Competition, New York City, sponsored by the World Literacy and Christian Literature, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY, U.S.A.
- 1967 October – Honorable Mention, “Chinese Garden” (oil), National Student’s Art Competition, sponsored by the Shell Company of the Philippines
- 1967 December – First Prize, “The U.P. Entrance” (oil), First U.P. On-the-Spot Painting Contest, U.P. President’s Committee on Culture
- 1968 March – Third Prize, “Main Building” (oil), 357th Anniversary Foundation Day On-the-spot Painting Contest, University of Santo Tomas
- 1968 October – First Prize, “Fort Santiago” (oil), sponsored by the Shell Company of the Philippines, National Student’s Art Competition
- 1968 December – Second Prize, “Arts and Sciences Building” (oil), Second U.P. On-the-Spot Painting Contest, sponsored by the President’s Committee on Culture
- 1969 March – First Prize, “Aguinaldo Portrait Mural” (oil), 11’ft x 17’ft, sponsored by the Aguinaldo Centennial Commission
- 1972 May – Award of Merit, “My First Week at Brooks”, Student’s Art Competition, Brooks Institute of Fine Arts, Santa Barbara, California, U.S.A.
- 1982-1985 – Guest Student, Lithography, under Professors Rolf Sackenheim and Maria Buras, Kunstakademie, Düsseldorf, Northrein Wesphalia, Germany
- 2005 March – Nominee, National Artist of the Philippines, National Council of the Arts, Cultural Center of the Philippines
- 2007-2008 – President Nominee, Chairman-International Service Group / Rotary Club of Parañaque Sucat (RCPS) District 3830
- 2009 September – Weatherford Art Association, Member
- 1964 – “Imelda Portrait”, sponsored by the Childrens’ Museum & Library, Inc., Malacanang Palace, Philippines/
- 1966 – “Rizal & Oblation”, (pen & ink), Gonzales Hall, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
Exhibitions:
- 1967 – “Glenn’s Early Religious Works”, Abelardo Hall, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
- 1967 – “My Yoke is Easy”, Dasmariñas, Cavite, Philippines
- 1967 – “ Christian Art”, Saint Andrew’s Seminary, Manila, Philippines
- 1968 – “Come All Ye”, Union Church of Manila, Makati, Philippines
- 1968 March – “CMLI Art Scholars Art Exhibition”, Philamlife Building, United Nations Ave., Manila, Philippines
- 1969 August – “Inscapes”, Ateneo Art Gallery, Quezon City, Philippines
- 1971 March – “Glenn’s Works in Transparencies” (ribbon-cut by Carlos P. Romulo), Arts & Ends Gallery, Savoy-Hyatt Hotel, Manila, Philippines
- 1971 – “On My Way to School”, Brooks Institute of Fine Arts Gallery, Santa Barbara, California, U.S.A.
- 1972 March – “Three-Man Show”, with Artists John Cushing & Stephen Samerjan / Santa Barbara Museum of Art, California, U.S.A.,
- 1972 June – “America”, Inter-Church Center, Riverside Drive, New York, N.Y., U.S.A.
- 1972 July – “Pilipinas”, “Glenn’s Solo Art Exhibition”, Philippine Consulate, NY, USA
- 1972 June – “Two-Man Show” with Danny Aguila, Scarrit College, Laskey Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A. 1973 March – “Filipino Artists’“ Group Show, Sining Kamalig, Manila, Philippines
- 1973 December – “Zen Series”, Galerie Bleue, Makati, Philippines
- 1974 -“Thirteen Artists ‘74” – “Thirteen Artists“, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines
- 1975 August – “Inner-Light Series”, Metro Gallery, Lor Calma Building, Makati, Philippines
- 1976 December – “In Search of the Divine”, Sining Kamalig, Manila, Philippines
- 1976 – “U.P. Artists’ Group Show”, University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines
- 1977 – “Rizal”, (pen & ink) Fort Santiago, Philippines/
- 1977 October – “Branches”, Art Associates Gallery, Makati, Philippines
- 1977 – “Seasons & Generations”, Group Show, Cultural Center of the Philippines
- 1978 March – “Balik-Gallery”, Art Associates Gallery, Makati, Philippines
- 1978 August – “Sambahan”, Photography Group Show, Sining Kamalig, Manila, Philippines
- 1978 December – “Religious Paintings”, Residence of the U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines
- 1978 December – “Christmas Group Show”, Luz Gallery, Makati, Philippines
- 1978 March – “Nudescapes”, Ma-yi Associates, Makati, Philippines
- 1978 October – “Paintings & Sketches”, Sining Kamalig, Regent of Manila1979 November – Critics’ Choice – “Woodscape”, Manila Mandarin Hotel, jointly sponsored by the
- Philippine Commercial & Industrial Bank and Ma-yi Associates 1980 October – “Philippine
- Paintings” – Old & New, Madurodam Complex, Hague, under the auspices of the Philippine Embassy and Philippine Airlines
- 1981 November – “Group Show”, Dr. Fores Residence, New Manila, Quezon City
- 1982 March – “Abstractions”, ABC Galleries, Manila, Philippines
- 1983 August – “Tribute to Drawings” (Group Show), Gallery Genesis, Metro Manila, Philippines
- 1984 October – “First Group Show”, Parañaque, Las Piñas Art Exhibition, Tropical Palace, Metro-Manila, Philippines
- 1985 February – “1985 ASEAN Show”, National Museum of Singapore
- 1985 – “Preview of Munich Show”, sponsored by the Museum of Philippine Art
- 1985 –”International Artists, Art Exhibition”, Sharjah Museum of Art, Sharjah
- 1985 March – “Cut-Outs in Paper & Wood” (permanent exhibit as guest artist- , c/o Brigitte & Manfred Schmidt/), Galerie Art 204, Rethelstrasse, Düsseldorf, Germany Parker Williams Art Talk/Exhibit
- 1985 September – “Nature & Technology”, Gallery Genesis, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila
- 1987 – “Halo-Halo”, Little Gallery, CCP, Manila
- 1988 – Fifth “Kulay sa Tubig” Competition/Exhibition, Gallery Genesis, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila
- 1990 – Seventh “Kulay sa Tubig” Competition/Exhibition, Gallery Genesis, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila
- 1990 – “Golfscape Series”, SouthWoods Golf & Country Club/
- 1994 – “Landscapes & Abstractions”, Capitol Bank, Philippines/2009 October to
- 2010 March – Participated in Group Art Exhibits / Member, The Weatherford Art Association, Firehouse Gallery & Art Center, 119 West Palo Pinto St., Weatherford, Texas 76086, (817) 599-3278, Email: weatherfordart@yahoo.com
- 2010 March 27 – Parker Williams Art Talk/Exhibit, Parker Williams Library, 10851 Scarsdale Boulevard, Suite #510. Houston, TX
- 2010 April 2 –Southpoint Art Talk/Exhibit, 12801 Roydon Dr., Houston, TX 77034 USA
- 2010 April 3 – Houston Trinity UMC Art Talk/Exhibit, Houston, TX Speaker, Easter Sunrise Service, South Barker Cypress Rd., Katy, Texas 77450
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Future’s Past – Vergangenheit der Zukunft
by Alice Guerrero Guillermo . Undoubtedly one of the most gifted artists of his generation, Glenn Bautista believes in total creativity. Wide-ranging in his production, he has distinguished himself in painting, whether in oil, pastel, or watercolor, in printmaking, particularly lithography, and in sculpture, freestanding or relief. He knew his artistic vocation from an early age — he was born in 1947 in Orion, Bataan — and he has since pursued his career with a single-mindedness of purpose. [Sketches] Thus, he graduated with a degree of Fine Arts from the University of the Philippines in 1969, and on a scholarship grant, took further studies at Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, California where he graduated with honors in 1971. He has recently come back from Germany where he specialized in lithography at the ‘Kunstakademie’ in Dusseldorf and experimented with new materials and processes. Bautista’s recent shows cover his artistic production for the last three years, with most of the works done in Germany. It is significant here to note that during the time he was there, he won an ample measure of critical recognition as his works have become part of the permanent exhibit at the Galerie Art 204 at Rethelstrasse, Dusseldorf, in the company of the works of Josef Beuys, and the masters Chagall, Dali, and Miro. His one-man show at the Gallery Genesis this September attests to his prolific expression and consistent excellence and includes works in various media: paintings in pastel, mixed media works, collages, and works on handmade paper, photographs, lithographs, and cement sculpture. [Christian Art] Glenn Bautista started in the mid-Sixties as a painter of religious subjects and portraits. From the start, however, his art bore the stamp of his spontaneous originality which is the constant characteristic of his work. His early paintings of religious subjects done in the idiom of transparent cubism, more curvilinear than geometric, and which had a luminous stained-glass effect, endowed the traditional subjects with a new freshness and spiritual insight, While these early works were orthodox Christian, the religious aspect of his art acquired an increasingly eclectic character, drawing in elements and concepts from Asian religions to create a spiritual synthesis and unity of religious worship. [Inner-Light] In the Seventies, the imagery of his art moved from the religious to the surreal, as in his Inner Light Series, 1975 in oil on canvas, with titles such as Buried Time, Aquascape, Firefly, Transience, and Woodscape. It is, however, important to note that the surrealism of Glenn Bautista draws its original principle from his religious works. The sacred aura and luminous presence of his earlier works became gradually shifted to another context, this time the surrealist vision. [Pastels] How are we to define the specific character and quality of Glenn Bautista’s surrealist vision by which it distinguishes itself from the work of other surrealists? In terms of quality and feeling, it is, as we have earlier mentioned, drawn from his early religious consciousness. Thus, whether the subject be interplanetary outposts in a desert space, or trees and organic growths, it bears a spiritual presence beyond the original religious source. This abstractized religious quality is conveyed through the style itself, and, to a large extent, by the pastel medium as it is used by the artist in his individual style. In his hands, pastel assumes a rare suppleness, which, however does not preclude the clear and precise articulation of detail, the aura, spiritual or magical, is the effect of his exquisite control of light and tone. It is indeed surprising what a large tonal range can be accommodated within a small format of twelve and one fourth inches square. Often, light shines from within the forms like mysterious and beckoning Grail. It may flood valleys and gorges in a soft radiance that contrasts with the raggedness of the cliffs rising around. Light falls, like cascades, like torrents, like silent water down the slopes or the steep inclines of unknown mountains. With the light, color modulates from the purple to rose to orange with shades of gray, as the hues are brought out in all their original vividness and in their entire range of expression. Because of the intense concentration of imagery in a small format, along with the artist’s mastery of his technical means, and the flexibility and suppleness of his handling, many of the works achieve the macrocosmic dimension in their visionary scale. A small work — significantly, a square field with its equal sides — contains features on microcosm, which, in their rich and intricate interrelationships, project infinitely into a vast macrocosm, the multiple universe of endless space. The tonalities of light and dark when put into service of the linear perspective of surrealism create a trajectory into infinity, above and beyond the painting’s visual field, particularly since the artist does not mark a horizon line but telescopes, structures and crops the boundless image within the confines of the ordering square. [Abstractions] In fact, in a number of his works, Bautista has modified traditional perspective of linear convergence into more complex formulations. In some striking works, the schema of perspectival lines is elaborated into a contrapuntal network of lines that touch at points, separate and recede in an irregular zigzagging movement. The pool or subterranean depth from which a light wells out and radiates from a series of concentric layers and softly articulates the environing shapes. Another kind of perspective is off-centered and asymmetrical, as in semi-circular low-lying valley or river basin that interplays with steeply rising cliffs or a flat desert. The point of view from high Olympian vantage points is omniscient, spanning an immense temporal and spatial distance. [Heaven&Earth Oils] Thus, in these images of mystical evocation, the primitive archetypal past and the interplanetary future converge, as they reveal (and the artist has identified this as a central theme) underlying similarity of structures. The winding and tortuous mountain trails of what seems like an abandoned sky-city of Andes, Machu Picchu, perhaps, find a contemporary echo in the elaborate system of gas pipelines in a highly industrialized region, the Ruhr in Central Europe, for instance. For one, however, the images of ancient cities and ghost trails in inaccessible mountain fortresses often include the element of the organic, in the allusion to strong and ancient roots that reach down into the depths of the earth. On the other hand, the images of pipelines and what they signify of advanced industrial technology convey, in their formidable metallic structure a latent protest against dehumanization of man and decentering of his unique personality by the mammoth of mechanization. The concept of an inexorable industrial ‘‘progress’’ and the toll to the human spirit that it exacts coalesce in the powerful image of the bird’s claw with its avid and cruelly pointed talons that seem to spread out from a hard center of unrelenting steel. [Folded-Cut-Torn Pastels] In all the pastel works, however the sophisticated sense of structure the interplay of past and present and of the organic and mechanical the atmospheric space, and the quality of light blazing like a flare or softly phosphorescent-like marine forms glowing in a subterranean seas, are constant themes, of which the primary is the pervasive aura of spiritual presence the mystical, now abstracted from original context of religious orthodoxy. [Art Photos] [Insects/Photos] The same imagery as in the pastel works occurs in the photographs which are instant constructions, usually of sand and found objects, combined with sculptural forms, photographed in site. Close-up photography lends the subject of shells, rocks, and leaves, chambered nautilus, and an occasional surprise, in a rearing head of Christ, the illusion of actual existence, because of the camera’s natural function of recording material reality. It is best to relate the pastels to the photographs and vice-versa, because such comparative viewing brings out keenly the way in which a subject undergoes a shift in meaning as it is transposed into a different artistic medium. In these works, the artist is intrigued with the variation of existence of a visual sign appearing in art. In fact, the same concerns and interests which may easily grow into obsessions, also find expression in the cement relief sculptures which give the subjects another, a third, dimension of existence, this time three-dimensional with solid mass and texture. [Bas-Reliefs] In both the pastel works and the cement reliefs, the format is square, thus pointing to a real interrelationship. The textured white fields of his reliefs correspond to the desert sands of the pastel works as well as to the fine beach sand in the photographs. It becomes clear that in Glenn Bautista’s works, sand is a medium, actual or illusory, which, like water, is an essential part of this surrealist vision which both conceals, submerges or blankets like snow at the same time that it reveals and exposes mysteries of the unconscious. [Collage-Drawing] The artist rises to the conscious level and reckons reality in all its color and movement in his big collages that take off from posters and in his smaller works of mixed media that combine collage, line drawings, pastel passages and rubbings. Done in Germany, these show the contemporary First World urban environment impinging on the artist’s consciousness from all directions. The imagery of these works conveys the sophistication of cine-clubs, theaters, and outdoor cafes the very structure of a well-ordered bourgeois urban milieu in the rubbings of fire hydrants, manhole covers, street signs with the immediacy of their textures, and in the vintage appeal of Chaplin posters in the context of European pop. [Cogon-Abaca Drawings] Not to be overlooked is a collection of small works on paper — particularly finely textured handmade paper from cogon and abacaproduced in Baguio studio-workshops. On these, the artist has painted with pencil and pastel European landscapes of a more familiar and reassuring scale and on-the-spot renderings of elements of the urban scene: houses, doors, windows, interiors, with particular interest in their framework and structural features. In these he has consciously brought out the textural particularities of the handmade paper to become elements of meaning in the image as a whole. At times, one senses the superimposing of two planes of existence, the European and the Philippine in the medium and the image, at other times, these two planes originating from different cultural contexts and sensibilities, remain separate and apart. [Garland Pastels] But there is always and increasingly more in the art of Glenn Bautista whose artistic creativity is multifaceted and multidirectional. His lithographs, for instance, can challenge the best in the international scene. His surrealist works are true individual reformulations of that probing vision. In his works, form and vision seem to vie with each other in their pursuit of new directions and discoveries in the vast unending field that is his artist’s terrain and which he explores in its dimensions of time and space and in its surface life and materiality as in the deep and subterranean movements and phenomena of man’s other self. About the Author: Studied at the College of the Holy Spirit and the Universite’d Aix-Marseille in France as a scholar of the French Government. She finished her Ph.D (Philippine Studies) at the University of the Philippines with the dissertation entitled “Protest/Revolutionary Art in the Marcos Regime”. She was the recipient of the Art Association of the Philippines Art Criticism Award in 1976. She also received the UP Chancellor’s Award on Best Research in 1996. In the same year she was a Research Fellow of the Japan Foundation in Tokyo. She is married to the poet Gelacio Guillermo and has two children, Sofia and Ramon. – The Uncommon Art of Glenn Bautista by Alice Guerrero Guillermo Excerpts: “Total and spontaneous creativity is the principle that moves Glenn Bautista, wide-ranging artist who resist tested formulas and whose prodigious work in diverse media, two-and-three-dimensional, builds a universe of striking, haunting images that continually tease and challenge the mind. If landscapes, his paintings do not have the placidity and finality of familiar land-and-sky vistas but have the uncommon quality of concealing and revealing at the same time. If abstracts, his work, never facile, pose riddles and enigmas that resist categorical answers. If three-dimensional works, they defy conventional expectations in order to extend the meaning and experience of sculpture.” “In time, it became clear that the “Uncommon Art of Glenn Bautista” is not one for the academically conservative and tradition-bound, rather it extends an invitation to the adventurous, being avant-garde in a quite unobtrusive way. Even more, it has made a lasting mark on figurative art in the country today as it has opened numerous options, at the same time that it has engaged in the lively, exciting and highly original synthesis. Bautista, at present, devotes much of his time giving free art lessons to children and adults in Parañaque City. Glenn was a nominee for the prestigious 2005 National Artist Award of the Philippines in the field of Visual Arts as a result of recommendations received from some civic and religious organizations where he has been involved with who are appreciative of his works and efforts.” About the Author: Studied at the College of the Holy Spirit and the Universite’d Aix-Marseille in France as a scholar of the French Government. She finished her Ph.D (Philippine Studies) at the University of the Philippines with the dissertation entitled “Protest/Revolutionary Art in the Marcos Regime”. She was the recipient of the Art Association of the Philippines Art Criticism Award in 1976. She also received the UP Chancellor’s Award on Best Research in 1996. In the same year she was a Research Fellow of the Japan Foundation in Tokyo. She is married to the poet Gelacio Guillermo and has two children, Sofia and Ramon.
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GLENN’S OTHER BLOGS
: https://glenlorndav.wordpress.com/2013/09/27/glenns-cyberartpages-1963-2013-on/
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