Merm by Benedict Reyna of Ang INK

Here's my proud purchase from yesterday's Art in the Park. This could be possibly the most affordable painting in the event yesterday. I visited my Ateneo high school batch mate, Jomike Tejido, in the Ang INK booth and that's where I met the artist, Benedict Reyna, and saw this cute painting of his:

The painting is acrylic on a 6" x 6" canvas. Very very cute! Now all I need is a mini easel, and I can prop it up next to my other small paintings!

Ronald Ventura (Big and Small) in Ayala Museum

Kim and I were Art in the Park first thing in the morning, but parking was quite difficult already. We had to park all the way in Paseo Centre and walk to Salcedo Park. By 12NN, the place was starting to fill up with people, and looking at paintings was starting to become laborious. 

So, it was time to hie off to Ayala Museum to finally see the new exhibit located at the ground floor. The paintings are from the collection of Dr. Joel Mendez, featuring Ronald Ventura. 

Ronald Ventura made headlines in the local art scene when a painting of his, Grayground, sold in auction at Sotheby's Hong Kong for US$1.1M. 

In this exhibit we get to see his grasp on the human form. His technical expertise, without a doubt, shows that he is one of the hottest artists in the Philippine contemporary art scene. 

Black Rainbow, 2004, Oil on Canvas, 201 x 201 cm

Dream Series, Undated, Oil and Graphite on Canvas, 213.5 x  152.3 cm

Morning Rust, 2001, Mixed Media, 196 x 100.2 cm

In Memorial, 2001, Mixed Media, 226 x 152.4 cm

Art in the Park 2015

Another Art in the Park has passed. And their payment scheme is still so inconvenient. I'll also be posting pictures of what I bought from this year's Art in the Park, but for now, I'm sharing photos of the various artworks featured by the galleries this year:

Macro of an Apple by Marina Monina Ceriola

The engineering staff were finally able to hang the painting in the office today. When I got in for work, the painting greeted me on the wall by the administrative assistant's wall:

The Waiting Begins

The paintings are waiting to be hung. My AA was so enamoured with the apple painting that she convinced me to display both Ceriolas in area of the assistants instead of my immediate office. 

Now we have so many paintings in the office, even the staff started calling it an art gallery instead of an administration office. The only thing missing are museum labels.

Rotech Arts and Frames

I confess, Kim and I cheated on our frame shop. We've been having our painting acquisitions framed in Frame Plus for a little less than a year, and we were seduced by the lower rates of Rotech. Reluctantly, when we had the Ceriola Macro of an Apple framed, we weren't expecting much. But, look at how it turned out:

Not bad at all. And all for a thousand pesos less than Frame Plus. 

My next framing job is the Bird House, and I already have something in mind. I had the Rotech girl give me an estimate how much the framing job would cost, and the price she was giving me was very very tempting!

Ginza Bairin in UP Town Center

Ginza Bairin is one of our favourite restaurants in UP Town Centre, this and Red Onion (okay, Kim doesn't like Red Onion).

We had our feet scrubbed, and we were able to purchase St. Ives' Anti-itch lotion, so we were more than ready for a little (that is... heavy) dinner tonight - before I had to run off to pick up my evil sister (okay, she's not that evil).

Parking in UP Town was at its all time worst. Then again, it may be because they're still building parking buildings. That didn't deter us from making the hike to Ginza Bairin. How did we live before the arrival of Ginza Bairin and Saboten, really?

This is our third time to eat in Ginza Bairin, I think. And like Saboten.. and fine, Yabu, na din, you have to grind sesame seeds for your katsu sauce. In other words, you have to put some elbow grease into grinding if you want to have dinner *winkwink,

We didn't actually need to do this because both Kim and I ordered the Menchi Katsu with Cheese Curry Set. 

All sets come with refillable cabbage-salad, Miso soup, Japanese rice, and fresh fruits. 

There's the dressing and Shoyu Wasabi sauce for the cabbage salad - more than anything, I was so looking forward to the cabbage. 

I so appreciated the food server, because she suggested to put the curry sauce on the side so that I could appreciate the labor I put into grinding. 

Bon appetit! The Japanese curry has arrived! I've been hankering for Japanese curry for 2 weeks already!

Unfortunately, though, Kim wasn't successful in getting me to forget the #HOMEGROWN stores we passed by before we crashed in Ginza Bairin. The Polaris Project's bazaar of sorts in UP Town Centre, had a booth, by Polaris Project themselves, which sold artworks. I saw this cute painting of a bird house - really adorable. It was only PhP 350.00 - which is really affordable for an acrylic on canvas painting. 

Bird House, Acrylic on 12" x 9" canvas, Renee Avila

At first, I thought I wanted to present it similar to the painting of Miguel Villanueva, but now, I'm thinking I want to have a big gold frame. I have time to decide. Its a nice piece by Renee Avila. Will try to research on the artist. 

All in all, amazing Saturday!

Ginza Bairin

G/F UP Town Centre, 

Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City

tel. no. 0917.871.0041

Polaris Project

thepolarisprojectph@gmail.com

Guess Eyeglasses from The Optical Shop Premier

Kim bought me a new pair of eyeglasses from The Optical Shop Premier in the new Glorietta 2.

Always quite a challenge for me to look for a new pair of eyeglasses, and I make it a point to get a new pair every year. My grade hasn't changed for quite some time already, so I am pretty much able to maintain having multiple pairs of eyeglasses. 

And there's a caste system to the eyeglasses. I always leave a pair in the office - this pair is meant to be my showcase eyeglasses. I leave a pair at home - this one should be the most comfortable pair. Lastly, there's always my go-to pair - the frame that can take a rough beating when I'm out of the house or office, moving about. 

The office pair, a pair of titanium eyeglasses I purchased on sale from Ideal Vision is to be retired for home use, and this new pair from The Optical Shop Premier is to be my showcase eyeglasses. 

I would have wanted to get a pair of Prada, Burberry, Ted Baker, or Ferragamo eyeglasses, however, my face is quite wide, and at the minimum, I require glasses that are size 54 up, depending on the frame. My go-to pair, black plastic-rimmed Zoo York glasses, are 56. The titanium set, although a smaller size, is very flexible, thin and light, and doesn't pinch my temples. 

This pair of Guess eyeglasses are quite comfortable also, and have the right allowance for my temples. My eye condition makes me prone to migraines, so having a comfortable pair that ensures that no other possible cause of strain on the eye, nose bridge, or temple is very important. 

The model number is Guess GU 1813, its a nice bronze color, and the box is quite cute with the indented dots on it. 

The staff in The Optical Shop were quite helpful. Their optometrist had good bedside manners.  They have more models, so if you're in the market to be buying a pair of eyeglasses, why not pay them a visit. Better yet, be like Kim, and give the gift of clear sight to your loved one!

The Optical Shop Premier

2/F, The New Glorietta 2, Glorietta Complex

Makati