On Monday I was back in old Manila completing my medical certificate. Going between the clinic and the Bureau of Immigration I stopped in the park (called Agrifina circle apparently) to sketch. I couldn’t find out anything about this sculpture/fountain…maybe someone knows. Almost every sitting spot in the park (including on the grass in the shady areas) was occupied by tired looking workers having a midday snooze.
Mon-21-Jan-2019
This was sketched while I had a rest during a long afternoon of Christmas shopping. This is a sculpture by an American-Filipino artist, Jeffrey Figueras. The tarsier, often called a tarsier monkey, is a tiny little thing and is actually something in between a monkey and a lemur. It’s considered a key symbol of the Philippines because Bohol island is one of the few places in the world that they are found.
Fri-16-Nov-2018
Here is the sketch I did on Sunday, sitting in a cafe called ‘Local Edition’. These huge spheres are just a few of the decorative sculptural objects in the area…certainly good for sketching. Big balls was the first title that came to mind.
Sun-23-Sep-2018
When I arrived in Bạc Liêu, I had a bit of free time, so instead of crashing out in the hotel (like I usually do), I went out to do some sketching (and find some food). I sat in the square on a supremely uncomfortable metal perch (some architects idea of a vandal free bench) to sketch this, while I ate some sweetcorn. Apparently this sculpture is of a dan kim (a two-string guitar), which is the symbol of Bạc Liêu (I saw it in gold embossed certificates and even wall clocks during my trip). I was a bit dissatisfied with the drawing – and felt it was not bold enough.
Tue-20-June-2017
I biked to the mall this morning and decided to stop and sketch this sculpture, which I used to see every day when I was driving to work. It’s called “Kasaysayan Bawat Oras” and is by Juan Sajid de Leon Imao. Google translates this as History Hourly and I gather the dancing figures are supposed to represent 7,100 islands of the Philippines. In the process of sketching I got soaked by the lawn sprinklers, which apart from soaking my watercolour pencils, was kind of pleasant and cooling! The drawing was done in charcoal, pencil, watercolour, ink and watercolour pencils.