TURNING POINT 2

In this exhibit, Victor Bong Espinosa goes back from where it all started, to indirectly pay homage to his roots, after having come home from a most recent trip abroad. And to start, where exactly does an artist like Bong begin to take all these necessary baby steps that helped him reach the distinction he experiences now? And from where does he draw mainly for his inspiration so that he can always bounce back again this time, at that exact place in his heart and mind where his art may have started? Apparently, just like what is common to other notable artists in our midst who continue to toil in their works - creating artworks is an ongoing process that continues up to now. Circumstances come and go, but the artist continues to persist.

Bong may have been wishing to share the most recent fruits of his artistic spirit, not as a deliberate effort, but really more as an acknowledgment for the gifts and blessings he has gratefully received to date. He endeavors to give due recognition to all forces and beings, either known or otherwise, who may have helped him turn his art into what it is now. We can expect that he must have struggled to overcome those typical limits set by being a regular family man, in today’s society. Bong’s has a supportive wife, and those loving children who are growing up fast to eventually lead their individual lives before Bong may have paid heed again to be with them while they’re still young. The demands to meet the need to create by an artist’s include competition for attention from those in the core family where Bong happens to be the responsible family man.

Always pleased to tell the curious of his art that he’s actually a self-taught artist, Bong, also, gives primary emphasis on the rigors of his life experiences every time he creates something for his craft. This craft along painting that he deftly turned into an art all these years, which itself is a clear-cut recognition of his artistic abilities, has been given much recognition. Such that Bong is always thought to be an artist by every one who has encountered and seen his work. A series of ongoing and continuing experiences has been the well spring of his inspiration, the main source of materials that we, in turn, continue to have become grown very familiar with whenever we see samples of Bong’s art.

His preference for using what’s available, for what’s around and easily within reach in everyday life situations, all have allowed him to create, spend time painting and recognizing the creative forces that Bong has taken steps to acknowledge and share with everyone around him. His family, friends, relatives have benefitted from his kind heartedness in sharing his art – the kind of art which to the one who’s not familiar with Bong’s art, usually encounters surprises in the detailed, almost minute application of colors in paintings, and the deliberate control of dispersing lines in drawings that we see in practically every piece of art Bong has created to date.

With this exhibit, we see more solid snatches of Bong’s distillations of his experiences. He keeps and sustains very keen awareness of his senses as they relate with everything that happens around him. We’ve seen him work on projects that we wonder where exactly does he get all the inspiration to continue crafting his art on the canvas. Of course, individuals and other groups may have commissioned Bong to work on particular topics. And indirectly, Bong has created works following certain boundaries usually found in art competitions. Along the way, Bong has certainly earned and won credentials just to prove the point many times over that he can deliver with his art, if those among the skeptical and those among the jaded who believe they’ve seen everything when it comes to art. And Bong continues to create, draw, paint, and come up with surprises that are always worthy of being included in exhibits. And we’ve always noticed, there’s the effort on his part to go back from where he has started, from where all these artworks have been drawn from – we are then again ready to see these fruits here in this exhibit.

Bong’s works have been noted for their well-worked out details that look like they’ve been drawn as they connect with his earlier works. Certain themes come up into mind of the typical viewer – ethnic life scenes, the origin of life, displays of sensuality, forms of love and affection, nature, tropical idyllic settings. But there’s more. We’re delighted to recognize that Bong has so much in terms of experiences in his life, such that we’re confident to say he could very well draw from them anytime, and have them become enriched with his journeys outside of the Philippines. As such, be ready, then, to experience what’s visually delightful in each of canvases you will face in this exhibit.