A sincere artist is not one who makes a faithful attempt to put on to canvas what is in front of him, but one *. who tries to create something which is, in itself, a living thing
This philosophy is evident in the work of UHF livelihood coordinator and award-winning artist Bryan Villanueva who incorporates both his inner and outer world into his artistic practise.
A Bachelor of Fine Arts (advertising) graduate at the Far Eastern University, Bryan started work at UHF in 2001 and says teaching art to poor urban youth and street children has touched him in a way he “never expected.”
“The children have really changed my life. They have taught me a lot about emotions. As an artist I faced life with a brush and canvas but as a livelihood coordinator I have to face the harsh realities of life as a daily basis,” Bryan says.
"It has connected me to myself and other people. I paint because I touch life in this way ... it gives me a place in the world,” he says.
As a child Bryan found that art instantly transported him to “another place, a special realm,” where he could simply sit and dream.
“I was interested in all the arts – dancing, music and theatre – but what I enjoyed the most about the visual arts was that you could create something all on your own from start to finish. Every aspect of the work is the responsibility of the artist and reflects his temperament. Paintings were like magic to me, when I am painting I forget about myself and become completely absorbed in the work,” he says.
It was through the encouragement and mentorship of his next door neighbour Godofredo “Godo” Zapanta, an acclaimed Filipino artist, that Bryan started training a serious interest in the discipline.
“When I was 10 years old I was fascinated with Godzilla and I use to draw him for hours. I was also very interested in people but they only looked like stick figures back then. Thanks to the mentoring of Godo, my drawing ability has progressed a lot since I was a little boy... or at least I hope it has,” Bryan says with a laugh.
While Bryan’s love of people is evident in his work today it would be wrong to simply describe him as a portrait artist.
While he openly describes himself as a “realist painter,” it could be argued that Bryan’s paintings (even portraiture pieces) seek to depict feelings rather than just line and shape.
The result is truly a picture from the heart as well as a window into his private and public worlds.
It is this ability to connect with ‘something deeper’ within himself that has resulted in Bryan amassing so many accolades and honourable mentions for his artwork over the years, including wins in the prestigious Asean Art Awards, the Philippine Shell Art competition and the MetroBank Art competition.
Despite possessing a strong drive to be recognised as a National Artist (the pinnacle of success in the Philippines), Bryan is an extremely humble and unpretentious individual.
He says he can’t take full credit for his success as it was “God who gave humans his gift of abundant talent to all mankind.”
“I was just lucky to be given the gift of art,” Bryan says with a gentle smile.
A softly spoken and somewhat shy individual, it is only through gentle prodding that Bryan reveals his proudest moment as an artist.
Surprisingly, he says that the thing he “counts above everything else” (including professional acclaim) is when his career path was finally accepted by his family.
“My family originally didn’t want me to be an artist because of the old saying, “Gutom ang artist” (The artist is always hungry). I was so happy the day they finally accepted that I was a born painter – the idea of doing anything else is abhorrent to me. They finally gave me space to draw and draw and draw,” he says.
In talking about why he paints, Bryan says it is what he can do `in a poetic way' to transform his anxieties, hopes and dreams.
It is this power to pour your soul into a painting that Bryan believes is such as therapeutic tool for the UHF children he works with.
“Art allows the children who might not be that academically inclined to talk about their lives through the visual medium instead. Art is a powerful tool,” he says.
Bryan says that he has found another source of empowerment and proud through working with UHF clients.
“I was so happy when my art students won an art competition at Pfizer and they started telling everyone that they wanted to be Kuya Bryan!” he says with a delighted chuckle.
He says that while becoming a successful artist is a “hard and long road,” he believes that you are more likely to achieve success if you simply “draw, draw and draw!”
“I tell the children that they shouldn’t be afraid to go outside the lines and think ‘outside the box’
“They should also study different art styles and practise as much as they can. Sticking it out through the hard times and not doubting yourself is also very important,” he says.
Bryan also suggests to his students that they should get into the habit of carrying a sketchbook with them wherever they go, and drawing from life as much as possible.
“Drawing trains the eye to see what is really there and not just what to think is there. Secondly, don’t be in a big rush to develop a style. Play around with different mediums – experiment.”
With Bryan determined to mentor the next generation of artists, the Philippine art scene can rest assure that some truly original and raw artwork is set to emerge from the poor urban slums of Manila.
* Quote from renowed artist William Dolbell