Alger Guevarra

Filipino original (English translation below)

Bata palang ako ay mahilig na akong mag drawing,walang araw na hindi ako gumuguhit ng paborito kung cartoon

character,wala man akong sketch book o magandang papel pang drawing ay gumuguhit parin ako. Ang naaalala ko pa noon sa

lupa ako gumuguhit sa aming bakuran at labas ng bahay.Pagdradrawing din ang ginagawa naming laro,pagandahan at palakihan

ng drawing sa paboritong cartoon character.

Kaya bata palang ako ay pinangarap ko ng maging pintor,pinangarap ko ring kumuha ng kursong fine arts o arkitekto.Subalit

dala ng kahirapan at may kamahalan ang kursong ito,ay hindi nasunod ang pangarap ko.Bagkos kumuha nalang ako ng technical

course na associate in computer science.Simula noon ay nawalan na ako ng interest sa pag pagdradrawing.Pumasok ako sa

isang simenaryo at doon marami ako nakilalang artist sa music at visual art (painting).Inggit na inggit ako sa kanila,naisip ko

kung nakapagtapos lang ako ng fine arts ay katulad ko na sila.Hanggang may nakilala akong isang artist at sinabi nya sa akin na

kahit hindi ka nag aral ng fine arts ay pwede kang maging pintor,ang sabi nya ay sundin ko lang daw ang desire ko at wag kang

matatakot at kung ano daw ang desire mo ay mangyayari basta gumawa kalang.pero hindi ako naniwala.

Lumabas ako ng simenaryo at sinubukang mag trabaho, nagtrabaho ako bilang waiter,stockman,messanger,at clerk. Habang

ginagawa ko ang mga ito ay parang di ako makuntento, parang may hinahanap pa ako. Kaya nagdeside akong subukang mag

pinta. Dahil wala akong trabaho at nakikitira lang sa isang kaibigan dito sa manila,nag lakas loob parin akong gawin ito,na kahit

alam ko na wala akong kikitain sa pagpipinta. Dahil sa kawalan ng pera nag isip ako ng paraan para makapinta,nagsunog ako ng

bigas at ito ang ginamit kong medium,habang nagpipinta ako ng isang portrait ay aksidenteng lumabas ang isang hugis, isang

maliit na scratch, nag explore ako at doon ko naramdaman ang saya, dahil nakabuo ako ng isang obra sa pamamagitan ng

scratch.

Simula noon ito na ang ginagawa ko.Nagkita ulit kami ng kakilala kung artist,sya si Lirio Salvador napag alaman ko na sikat

napala sya sa larangan ng art.Pinakita ko ang gawa ko sa kanya at pakiramdan ko ay natuwa sya, kaya pinakilala nya ako sa mga

gallery, pero ayaw nila ang gawa sa sinunog na bigas sa kahoy.dahil hindi daw tatagal ito.Kaya nag explore ako gamit ang acrylic

at oil on canvas.

Simula noon nag umpisa na ang mga group show ko,may nag ooffer din ng solo show pero di ko tinanggap ito dahil sa dami ng

pinapagawa nya,sa kadahilanang di ko kayang bilin ang material na kakailanganin. Nakakabenta man ako ay sa maliit na halaga

lang at ito ay binibili ko lang ng bagong material,para lang matuloy ko ang aking ginagawa. Naranasan ko ring ma discriminate

ng ibang gallery dahil hindi daw ako nakatapos ng fine arts, masakit mang isipin pero tuloy pa din ako sa ginagawa ko. Pero di ko

parin kinakalimutan ang pagpoportrait ko. gumamit naman ako ng ibang medium gaya ng iba’t ibang shade ng

buhangin.hanggang sa ngayon sa kabila ng problemang dumarating financial man o emotion ay tuloy tuloy parin

ako.nagpapasalamat din ako sa live-in partner ko na walang sawang sinusuportahan at inuumawa nya ang ginagawa ko.sana

dumating ang araw na makagawa ako ng malalaking scale na painting gamit ang technique ko.

English translation

I have been very fond of drawing during my childhood, I used to draw my favorite cartoon character. As far as I could

remember, we could not afford a sketch pad so I used to draw on the earth outside our house and I would play with the other

kids comparing our cartoon drawings on the ground.

At a very young age I have always dreamed of being a painter. I wanted to study Fine Arts or Architecture, but, due to

the expensive nature of these fields of study I had to do with a 2-year Associate Degree in Computer Science. Since then, I have

lost my interest in drawing.

After the 2yr Associate Degree I lived in an organic farm seminary run by Students of Jagad Guru Chris Butler. Being drawn to the philosophy I stayed for 2years and there I met many artists in music and visual art (painting). I envied them, I thought, if I just graduated from Fine Arts I would be like them. Until one artist said that even if you did not study Fine Arts you can still be a

painter, he said to just follow the desire to create and paint and do not be afraid to keep making from your heart’s desire. I did no t believe him then. I left the seminary and tried all sorts of work. I worked as a waiter, stockman, messenger and clerk. During these times trying

different types of jobs, I still was not satisfied, it felt like there was something missing. So I stopped working, and decided to

start painting. Though I was only staying at my friend’s family home and I did not have a job, I could not afford to buy any

materials so I went around their house and got a handful of rice grains and burned it and then I crushed the burnt rice grains

and mixed it with homemade paste (boiled starch and water). Then I used it to paint portraits on canvass and during the

process I accidentally produced a certain shape, it was a small scratch. So I started to explore scratching the burnt rice-paste on

wood. A kind of happiness crept inside me from experiencing and exploring the process of creating the piece by scratching it

with my fingers, rulers, steel saw and whatever I could find.

From the time I experienced painting this way, I kept creating them. After a while I met my artist friend again Lirio Salvador (for

more information on Lirio Salvador kndly click here or google his name), I showed him my work and I think he somehow liked it,

because after he saw my work he immediately introduced me to some art galleries in manila. Though one gallery was

concerned that the materials that I was using (burnt rice grains-paste and starch on wood) would not last long and that it might

create molds. I considered the concern and tried to explore the same technique using oil on acrylic and canvass. Soon after this

that is when I started to get invited to group shows. One gallery invited me to have my solo show but I had to produce a certain

number of works that I thought I could not afford to buy materials for the works that was needed so I had to decline. Usually I

have to sell my paintings very cheap right after it dries so that I could buy more materials for my next paintings and for food to

eat. I also experienced being rejected by one particular gallery personnel because I did not graduate in Fine Arts. It may be very

painful to think about it but I still manage to continue with my passion.

I still make it a point to continue portraits and went to the beach, because I did not have money when I got there so I was stuck

there and managed to find that the sand there had different shades of gray and black. While I was living with a family that was

repairing surfboards, I tried making portraits from different shades of sand found around the beach and coated it with resin

which was used to repair surfboards.

Now even with lots of problems financially and emotionally I still manage to continue with my art.

Written by: Alger Guevarra Translation: Mohini Ochangco ------- --------------- Growing-up from a family of brass musicians, Alger Guevarra knew his inner rhythm and pursued his own voice falling in-love with painting. Fueled by his innate passion for the visual arts, Alger started drawing as a child. Under the watchful eye of his friend/mentor Lirio Salvador, who himself is a reknown artist and a musician, Alger embraced the enigma of making love with a canvass. Since 2009, Alger displayed his coming of age as a painter. Participating in various group exhibits. From then on, there's is no stopping for Alger in creating. He is constantly invited to different art exhibits marking a busy year-end of 2010 for him. Alger made a mark when he launched his experimental collection on lines and spheres. His restless hands explored different possibilities with oil and canvass creating depth and dimension characterized by one's own interepretation of the cyle of life. For Alger, experimenting with spheres connotes an ancient truth of the life's natural flow...rolling and circling, creating a different hue everytime. "written by Mrs. Marilyn Plata"