East of Here and West of There

Jose Rizal. Ballpen, marker and digital illustration Filipino nationalist and polymath during the tail end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. An ophthalmologist by profession, Rizal became a writer and a key member of the Filipino Propaganda Movement which advocated political reforms for the colony under Spain.

Filipino National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin. Ballpen and marker [portrait. Nicomedes "Nick" Márquez Joaquín (May 4, 1917 – April 29, 2004) was a Filipino writer, historian and journalist, best known for his short stories and novels in the English language. He also wrote using the pen name Quijano de Manila. Joaquín was conferred the rank and title of National Artist of the Philippines for Literature. He has been considered one of the most important Filipino writers, along with José Rizal and Claro M. Recto. Unlike Rizal and Recto whose masterpieces were written in Spanish, Joaquin's major works, despite being a native Spanish speaker, were written in English.

Filipino National Artist for Literature Edith Tiempo. Ballpen and markers. Edith L. Tiempo (April 22, 1919 – August 21, 2011), poet, fiction writer, teacher and literary critic was a Filipino writer in the English language.Her poems are intricate verbal transfigurations of significant experiences as revealed, in two of her much anthologized pieces, "Lament for the Littlest Fellow" and "Bonsai." As fictionist, Tiempo is as morally profound. Her language has been marked as "descriptive but unburdened by scrupulous detailing." She is an influential tradition in Philippine Literature in English. Together with her late husband, writer and critic Edilberto K. Tiempo, they founded (in 1962) and directed the Silliman National Writers Workshop in Dumaguete City, which has produced some of the Philippines' best writers.She was conferred the National Artist Award for Literature in 1999.

Trad and digital marker sketches of bracelet designs using T'boli weave patterns.

Evelio Javier was a Filipino lawyer, civil servant, politician, and an opposition leader during the regime of President Ferdinand Marcos.  Javier ran for governor of Antique and won in 1971 by one of the largest margins in history, making him, at the age of 28, the Philippines' youngest governor. Javier was assassinated in the closing days of Ferdinand Marcos's presidency. A staunch supporter of then-presidential candidate Corazon Aquino, he was shot on February 11, 1986 four days after the Snap Elections of 1986 were held but while the counting was continuing. The assassination of Evelio Javier helped lead to Marcos's fall from power during the People Power Revolution.   On the day of the funeral and burial to his final resting place at his hometown of San Jose de Buenavista, Antique, thousands of mourning people in Antique followed his funeral procession to the cemetery wearing yellow shirts and tying yellow bands to their wrists. They played his fav...

His idea was a dream of a Malay confederacy. Not the Luzon or the Philippine Archipelago, but I mean of that blood. He is a dreamy man, but a very firm character and of very high accomplishments. " General Arthur MacArthur, Military Governor of the Philippines Apolinario Mabini. revolutionary leader, educator, lawyer, statesman and the first Prime Minister of the Philippines, serving first under the Revolutionary Government, and then under the First Philippine Republic. Digital illustration; 2015

An illustration for my niece who is doing a paper on Mabini. WIP mixed media illustration; 2015

The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. The Corsair was designed as a carrier-based aircraft. However its difficult carrier landing performance rendered the Corsair unsuitable for Navy use until the carrier landing issues were overcome when used by the British Fleet Air Arm. The Corsair thus came to and retained prominence in its area of greatest deployment: land based use by the U.S. Marines. Some Japanese pilots regarded it as the most formidable American fighter of World War II and the U.S. Navy counted an 11:1 kill ratio with the F4U Corsair. The exploits of Marine Corps squadron VMF-214, which flew the Corsair in the Pacific during the war, were depicted in the popular 1976 made-for-television movie Baa Baa Black Sheep and the follow-up television series Baa Baa Black Sheep, also called Black Sheep Squadron, which aired from 1976 to 1978. The television series featured six ...

Ilong, ilong Kulay talong 2014

Higante, higante Mata'y namumugto, Takam na kasi sa Batang iluluto! 2014

Done Donki; marker illustration; 2013 Donki's name was derived from abanDOned KItten, which pretty much describes how she came to us :)

Quick marker sketch of our cat. posted from Bloggeroid

I was home nursing a fever and got restless. posted from Bloggeroid

Fr. James Bertram Reuter Jr., SJ passed away on Monday, December 31, 2012.  Jesuit, playwright, educator, and media man. His love of the Philippines and Filipinos was legendary; so much so it earned him a stature and affection beyond the measure of the many awards, both national and sectoral, that he received throughout his long life. We join the Society of Jesus in the Philippines, the generations of alumni of the Ateneo de Manila University, and men and women of media, arts, and letters, who mourn the loss of this man of faith, good cheer, and eloquence. excerpt from the Statement of the Presidential Spokesperson Report here.

Fascinating and impressive man this Sir Christopher Lee. I've always known of him as a villain's villain and he will always be Scaramanga, Dracula, Saruman and fallen jedi Count Dooku to me but was literally astounded to know that he is the son of a contessa, a classical singer, an intelligence soldier who served in the LRDG in North Africa AND the SAS -- that alone is totally BADASS, is related to James Bond creator Ian Fleming, General Robert E. Lee, speaks at least 7 languages, is 90 years old, is the only actor from Peter Jackson's film adaptations of "Lord of the Rings" to have actually met J.R.R. Tolkien, played the role of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of modern Pakistan in Jinnah, is the jabberwocky, still acts and plays heavy metal guitar! Awesome, awesome man! Digital illustration; 2012

Dave Brubeck (December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) Jazz pianist and composer and one of the foremost exponents of progressive jazz. Thank you for the music, sir!

My mother. Digital illustration; 2012 My sister, Jingle. Digital illustration; 2011 My sister-in-law, Iya. Digital illustration; 2011 My wife, Sandie. Digital illustration; 2011 My nephew, Joaquin. Digital illustration; 2011 My mother-in-law, Babsie. Digital illustration; 2013

  Jesse Manalastas Robredo (May 27, 1958 – August 18, 2012 The Philippine Daily Inquirer's editorial on the passing of Secretary Robredo.

My officemate Tet is starting a new job soon with Green Peace. Here's an ink portrait I made for her send-off. Godspeed. Tet! Ink illustration on board. Digital coloring. 2012