On this day I was the driver for my wife for a trip into Makati and I took the opportunity to visit Assad Mini Mart and stock up on pulses and some fabulous samosas. Afterwards I sat in a Starbucks window seat and sketched this view. One of the Ayala Corporation catch phrases includes the words “enriching lives” but I think all of this construction is about enriching themselves.
Wed-5-Nov-2025
Here is the last sketch I did with #UskManila at the #AyalaMuseum Amplify Arts & Music Festival. This one was done in the lobby, in the area behind the devotional altar. In my sketch you can see a Kinabiggat (a king post from an Ifugao house) and the end of a Kulintangan (a gong and drum ensemble from the Sulu and Mindanao islands). In the foreground is the 16th century “Jar with the immortals” – from Jingdezhen, in Jiangxi province in China. These are the Eight Immortals—Daoist symbols of longevity and happiness….not just some immortals but ‘the’ immortals.
Sat-19-Oct-2024
After sketching the dioramas at the #AyalaMuseum, I went up to the exhibition called ‘Skeins of Knowledge, Threads of Wisdom‘, which displays traditional textiles from the Mercedes Zobel Collection. My first sketch is of a Bagobo warrior (Magani) with a dance spear and shield (the Bagobo are a tribe from Mindanao).
The second sketch is a mannequin dressed in Itneg textiles carrying a brass gong and wearing an Abag (loincloth) and Salakot/Kattukong (woven hat). The Itneg are an indigenous peoples from northwestern Luzon. I was sketching these in semi-darkness (I assume they keep it that way to preserve the colours of the fabrics)…so I didn’t know what the colours would turn out like!
Sat-19-Oct-2024
Here are the sketches I did for the #SketchExchange with #UskManila at the Amplify Arts & Music Festival. On the second floor of the #AyalaMuseum they have more than 60 of dioramas, presenting the story of the Filipino people starting in 750,000 BC up to the US recognising Philippine Independence in 1946.
I just did two quick sketches, one of pottery making 6,000 years ago and one of the first mass in 1521. I put these sketches on our groups table and took one in exchange (the third drawing in this post), of me doing my sketch in the lobby area. I’m not sure who did this one…but to whoever claims it as theirs, thank you very much, great drawing!
Sat-19-Oct-2024
Here is the first sketch I did with #UskManila at the Amplify Arts & Music Festival, marking the #AyalaMuseum 50th anniversary. The festival celebrated Filipino creativity with live performances, lectures and the museum’s collection of exhibits. Our group had some live sketching going on – plus there was a sketch exchange. I decided to do this first sketch before the crowds filled the lobby area. This display includes several objects from different parts of the Philippines. In my sketch you can see an 18th Century “Retablo Altar” (a devotional altar), from Leyte Province, in front of which is a 19th century Nuestra Señora del Rosario (our lady of the rosary). In the glass case in the foreground is Nuestra Señora Inmacuada (our lady of immaculate conception).
Sat-19-Oct-2024