“Taksil sa Bayan”
Watercolor
April 3, 2021
I illustrated Barong Tagalog with bloodstain from my artwork “Taksil sa Bayan.” Barong Tagalog, as we all know, is a translucent suit that requires men to wear underwear inside. It reflects how our government portrays itself to the electorate before polls by concealing their identities in order to convince electors to vote for them. In fact, if they win the polls, they have complete influence on the nation. Little did we know, we were already hearing or witnessing abuses and violations of each Filipino’s human rights. Our trusted police officials, much as in the present, turned their backs to follow President Duterte’s tyranny. The bloodstain reflects how each of us battles for our rights, as well as those who have given their life to secure the justice, equality, and equity that every Filipino needs.
I’m Jazil Calapardo,
a freshman studying Industrial Design it the College of Fine Arts at University of the Philippines, Diliman.
I grew up surrounded by art materials. When I won a coloring contest in kindergarten, I discovered I had fallen in love with art. I was still involved and did my best in creating artwork when art is the subject in elementary and junior high school. In ninth grade, it dawned on me that I wanted to seek a degree in architecture. However, when I told my mother about the course I wanted to take, she refused to let me do it because of financial constraints. She suggests that I consider a business degree in order to obtain more benefits and opportunities after graduation. . For senior high school, I chose the Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM) track. I never expected to participate in a poster making contest again in Grade 12 because I kept myself occupied with financial statements. It was just a trial for me and I am certain I will not study the arts in the future. I didn’t think I’d be able to make it to the Top 16 Finalists. After all, I knew I always had the fire burning inside me. Creating a product that would benefit our society based on the art we used inspires me to pursue an Industrial Design degree.
I see various viewpoints on how I layer different colors on the paper because I use watercolor as my medium. I get a sense of calm from the way I stroke and mix. Seeing the watercolor paper in its uncolored state inspires me to add colour and life to it. Much of the time, I use all colors of blue to build a sense of symmetry in my artwork. I improved my ability to make lifelike figures by using tiny details and techniques in my artwork.