BY JAY BAUTISTA |
Unselfish
as the artist he is Ramos is fond of creative accolades here and there. In Under Red Umbrella pays tribute to a
dear friend, musician and great mother. An influence in his decision to be a
full-time artist, her demise may have left a void but Ramos imbibed her spirit
to go forward and reach his potential. Of course umbrella means love, memories
and teachings that cannot be erased.
Faith
often comes in the most abstract of expressions and artists like Fernando Ramos have turnaround something out of the ordinary even bordering on the transcendental they
only know how—paint them. In his first solo exhibition, Contemplating Ethereal Existence Ramos honors God foremost in his composed
yet grand solitary manner.
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| Soujourn |
His materiality dictates whatever mood Ramos is in depending on what he perceives as that
transcending value of God’s immeasurable love for humanity should be. Ramos
believes artists were blessed with talents as they have a responsibility to perform
in society. Eschewing texture he uses palette knife and rodela enabling every
stroke as different like the different days where Ramos worked on his pieces. These
pieces appear to be more durable, almost rendered in a dream that only Ramos can
comprehend their symbolical meanings.
Representing
valor in whatever dignified existence life has to offer, Standing Still series beckons to inspire and even encourages persistence in the hope for better things. In a heavy mix of earth-tone hues,
Ramos proposes that man who chooses God will always be standing still even if
failures and apathy seeps in.
His
journey not only as an artist but as a believer is most evident in Sojourn. Reaching the highest altitude
of his existence, being he is able to meditate in a wonderful world, the flight
of a dreamer in him. The future is still unclear, unimaginable and vague to
comprehend but the greatest gift for us is the promise of tomorrow. Sojourn comes with a emanating purpose on
this thesis.
Starting
with a study or a just a sketch Ramos builds up rhythm like a seasoned jazz
player, he improvises yet digs in deeper, straining his modeling paste-in-sand
combination. He then fixes silver or gold adding glow to the under paint most
likely after he stains the metal layer of his composition.
Whether
he renders realist strokes or veers into abstraction transparency of forms and
solidity of shapes define the quintessential Ramos. Often employing rhythm and
harmony in texture his dimensions draws a thin line in between softness and
harshness of rendition yet they carefully controlled and it varies in a certain
points to another simply not because they are nice to look at but because they
are conceived to do so.
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| Scent From A Dream 2 |
Contemplating Vertical Horizons is
how the promise giver is the promise keeper. Always offering a good day God forgives
and guides us through His unending and infinite creation. With the daily rigors
He brings us back to the light into our battered and stained spirit at his own
dedicated time.
With
Ramos piece there is never a dull rendition. He meticulously solidifies
everything by finishing dust-like coarseness adding a silver leaf and gold leaf
here and there. The aesthetics is in the swirl, some from various tin cans,
some using masking tapes for loss to take over. Swirling lines storms of life,
square is God for always being there.
His
paintings are also sensuous variations of collective narratives, memories and
dreams. The fascination in metal-like ground and surface in his works is
evident, rusted and stained in time. It is metaphorical depiction of this world
we live in is paralleled to a slowly decaying, human body that is deteriorating
and will turn back into nature’s dust--our ashes.
Ramos
moves freely inside the painting as he probes his inner self and explore
contours and variations of colors, paraphrasing the world and beyond in less fanciful
embellishment or distortion. His thoughts and feelings as an artist are
astounded in each of more than a dozen canvases.
On
can almost smell his coloration in Scent
Recalled From a Dream series which are actually landscapes dwelling intuitively
into his subconscious mind. His composition of colors range from cool to earthy
hues, these are vivid projections of his dreams and aspirations.
Not
everything is raw and melancholic The
Day After the Storm conveys positive vibrations as trials and challenges
that make him more human. Like gold that gone through fire to be able see its
real shine.
A
wise painter that he is, Ramos knows how to rest and recuperate. Resting Ground is a favorite place quiet
and serene place a mountain peak repent, pray and meditate his intoxicated body.
A habit he often does, he escapes from the humdrum of his material world, he
solitary dwells at a mountain’s peak, communing with his God who is more than
enough.
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| The Day After the Storm |
Vista
is tribute to Tatang, his mom’s
husband. A lawyer writer and man of faith He treated him like a son too. His regular
conversations with him were with a purpose, most specially those pertaining to
Mount Zion which is biblical definition of heaven, respite for good souls and
spirit.
Blue serenade series
are Ramos’ most personal paintings in this exhibition. Starting in 2013 being
in love with music, remembering the good old days and time gone by. Destiny
fate, remembering what God has promised transcending upon him.
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| Resting Ground |
Abstraction
in the Philippines has of late taken a back seat given the current art scene’s current
infatuation with hyperrealism, auction-bound, emo-ridden parlance. Ramos reclaims
whatever is lacking in aesthetics and maybem whatever is left in our poor
battered souls.
Fearful
of his faith and fate, Ramos ponders in each of these pieces as God has healed
and honed him further. He has able him to paint some more in whatever life has
to offer. With his hands outstretched in surrender, in these paintings he has
emerged healed and unscathed.
About the Artist
Fernando Ramos Jr is an award-wining visual artist. A graduate of Tarlac State
University, he has won in ArtPetron National Student Art Competion, Maningning
Miclat Art Awards, and the GSIS National Painting Competition. Ongoing at the Art Galileia Contemplating Ethereal Existence is
his first solo exhibition.
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