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Garry Molleno Jr.
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Biography
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I am a self-taught artist born in the little town of San Jose, in the province of Batangas, on May 27, 1980. I'm the eldest of four brothers. My parents and sibling were living, as I grow up, on a little cozy house my parent got through the housing project of the late Philippine President, Ferdinand Marcos' wife, Imelda, called, "Bliss Housing." I really miss the nature there; back then when the world seems so young and the air seems so fresh.
My mother told me I started drawing figures when I was six. I can't remember. But somehow I knew that since that since that day I grew up stirring a different kind of passion deep within me. A strong passion in art that is sometimes hard to understand by the ordinary outside world. At times it was painful, at others joyful. I also remember I was always astounded by the beautiful works of art or clips I see on papers, postcards, and magazines created by some of the established artists at the time. I craved. But somehow I learned how to motivate myself. So, I bought some watercolor and taught myself how to paint. That was the start. Little by little I came to understand what color is and how it becomes a vital element in composition in painting. The attempt was quite complicated and time consuming; but the experience was an excellent education in color and truly invaluable.
In 1991 my family moved to Calamba City, Laguna, the birthplace of the Philippine National hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal. And about three years after my father took me to one of his friend named Victor, who is one of the fine artists in the city. That was a long time ago but what I've learned from this man was priceless indeed; that now, every time I look back, I can see how much those early times, the knowledge that I have acquired, have affected everything that followed. From there on I've learned how to value work, constantly improve and be mature in this field I'm into.
In the mid 90's I've also involved myself in songwriting, short story writing, poetry and many other forms of creative art. This was also the time where I've decided to step up and explore more new things from this very complex world of art, exploring other media's like charcoal, ink, graphite, pastel, acrylic and oil. When I first switched to oil it was a frustration. But I'm not a quitter, and when I learned how to handle the paint with ease I started to love every part of it, that every time I paint using this very wonderful medium, I feel like I was creating a new window to a new dimension; or a window to a new world of bliss and freedom.
I still don't know everything yet; there are still so many things that I need to learn in order to enhance my full potential. I believe that's the way an effective learning goes; it's like a full circle that never ends. For art is really observation. And while the world still continue to go around an artist would still continue to observe and learn from all kinds of perception, thoughts and feelings.
Take a pencil, a pen, paintbrush clay or camera or any tool that make a mark or leaves an impression. Take your time, because for me it would only end when we all reached the end of the line. That principle always brings me to the present-here in the City of Calamba and still learning how to paint.
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Statement
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A while ago I was wandering through the compilation of the so many notes I've gathered from my personal research about history of art. As I flipped through the pages my eyes fell on a single, incomplete sentence that was so compelling, so memorable so motivational and so inspirational for me that it has deeply influenced my thinking as a young artist.
In the sentence were two words that contained a single powerful idea:
"With the patience of a saint and the industry of an ant," I cannot described the effect those words had on me. I was overwhelmed by it.
As a young art fanatic I am always eager to learn from whatever resources I can find, while keeping in mind that the explanation of a work is more important than the work itself. That's one of my motivations for my self to divert my thinking from the competition. When I switched painting medium to oil, oil paint opened up a whole new world for me. It was a very complex twist to my very young knowledge in painting using this medium, but it's all worth a challenge to develop my skills as a painter. Also I`ve noticed that my interest, however, was slowly shifting more from painting surrealistic figures on paper to painting realistic landscape on canvas; and I began to focus on the different kinds of tropical setting of landscapes here in the country. I would photograph the wonderful view of the landscape with its entire splendor and later, in my improvised studio, I'd begin painting to permanently record the incredible picture. I'm always fascinated with nature that I feel like, in a way, there's a connection between mankind and the elements that comprises the nature's beauty that we see. And to be able to create my own copy of that beauty in painting for me is truly an adventure and a wonderful experience.
Now, for my painting support, especially in my latest works, I'm using ?" birch plywood, sized, and applied with multiple layers of acrylic gesso primer. I like the rigid and smooth surface of this panel support as I paint and one advantage-- it's cheaper when compared to the wide variety of canvas' support. Also different paint expands and contracts overtime at different rates and needs to be on a surface that doesn't flex or it will crack. Also oil paint has the best color strength and comes in a wide range of colors. Oil paint is also slow drying which gives me more freedom to continuously "work up" and achieve the intention I want in my picture. And due to my realistic subject matter, multiple glazes, and concern for color, tone and texture it often takes me a month to up to five months for a single painting to be completed.
For me, painting is freedom and I always felt that it is an extremely personal process of decision-making that requires discipline, which is hard work. I don't know how many times I've said that but I do believe each painter should always feel free to express himself in whichever way he wants it and forget about what other people would say. There's should also be no comparison from the beginner's works and the pros'. We are all unique. Place 100 painters in front of a landscape and you'll get 100 different paintings.
Feel free! Get your tools and burst your hearts out. That's the secret. Forget about the manners of the ancient. Spread your wings and set yourself free. Then you will see how great a potential there is ahead of you. I never call myself a beginner; neither have I call myself a pro. I call myself-- independent.
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Exhibitions
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