Marlowe Toledo Villagonzalo in Shared Vision: A Group Exhibit in New York City, USA

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It is always a source of joy and pride for artists to exhibit their work globally and to personally interact and showcase their art pieces with people who are interested.  Such an opportunity came to a prominent 46 year old visual artist from Punta Princesa, Cebu City, Marlowe Toledo Villagonzalo. Together with master Cebuano cubist Celso Duazo Pepito, his equally talented wife Fe Madrid Pepito, and notable US based Filipino artists, Luis Caraos, Romeo Cortes Jr. and Bobby T. Yalong, they will present Shared Vision, an art exhibit in New York City USA, from September 17-30, 2022.

As a distinguished mid career artist who has been carving a name to become an established artist in Cebu and the Philippines, Marlowe needed a platform to elevate his artistry and present his talent to the world.  "New York is one of the places where dreams can become reality. This is a memorable one for me and marks a milestone in my art journey.  My artwork is my life, it is my expression and freedom to the utter realities of life coming from the deepest corner of my mind and heart ", he said.

 At a younger age while he was still in Surigao, Marlowe has always wanted to become an artist. Deep in his heart he believed the value of his artistry as it manifested even when he was still five years of age. His early fascination with art has motivated him to draw trucks, ships and even bikes. 

He recalled that he was one of those many children who loved to draw the images of famous Filipino actors and actresses, especially that of Fernando Poe, Jr. In third year high school, he was introduced to the art of paper cuts which added to his creative skills. 

To positively nurture his creativity, he enrolled as one of the many students in an Architectural Drafting class where he gained additional knowledge that positively contributed to his aspiration of becoming a painter. Going into college, Marlowe traveled to Cebu to enrol in a course in Fine Arts at the University of San Carlos, but unfortunately, he was late for the enrollment, thereby forcing him to take up Architecture in Cebu Institute of Technology. 

 

This unintended shift in direction made him a Licensed Architect in 1999, and a registered Master Plumber at the same time. But before privately practicing his profession, he first worked in an Interior Design Firm in Cebu where he gained experience and attained financial means that allowed him to buy art materials and tinkered with them in his pastime. 

 


With opportunities to design and build houses, and creating plans for subdivisions, Marlowe considers himself a technical person in the field of architecture and construction. Though, it was not part of his original plan to be involved in such professions, he found it very fulfilling and felt profoundly grateful for what he had accomplished in these fields.

 

 

While continuously practicing architecture, he happened to meet Orley Ypon in his Studio in Toledo City, and looking at Orley's works, Marlowe's aspiration to go back to painting re-ignited. The desire was gradually brewing in his heart, encouraged to engage in painting again.  Thus, he made it a point to start painting his favorite subjects like vendors, still life, landscape, and flora.

More at ease with oil paints as his primary medium, he is deeply fascinated with applying thicker and bolder colors unto his canvas. Attributing this painting style the way Impressionists did theirs. He loves to paint with much loaded brush, creating an impasto effect that made his works truly sensational, if not, amazing.

 

Tagud, 36"x24", Oil on canvas, 2021

For any painter, joining an art exhibit is one fulfilling moment, and for Marlowe, it happened in 2001, when he was invited as one of the exhibitors in the First Cebu Open Air Art Festival at the garden and lagoon of Ayala Center Cebu. He has follow up exhibits at Shade of Summer at SM Art Center Cebu, and Art Explosion at Ayala Center Cebu at same year. His connection with Cebu Art Association has given him opportunities to join the group's exhibits in different venues from 2002, 2003 up to 2010.

He also got invited to exhibit his works with Portrait Artists Society group in 2012, and had his first Solo Show at same year at the Cebu Academy of Arts at Aloha Apartelle, in Cebu City. As he actively created more artworks, more invitations to exhibit also came. In 2021, he was part of the TIGUM- TIGUM+BISWAL Group Exhibit at SMSeaside, and one of the exhibitors of Mugna+Lantaw -2, organized by ArtPortalCebu Gallery in Pitogo, Consolacion,Cebu. He also took part of the First Visayas Art Fair in Montebello Villa Hotel in Cebu City. 

CCLEX, Watercolor, 2022


In 2022, he participated in Paglaum, a group exhibit at SM Seaside Cebu. Marlowe still believes that involving oneself in art will entail a lot of sacrifices and determination, thus, he continually conditions himself to prepare for whatever it entails to painstakingly nurture his artistic gift to fulfill his desire to follow his artistic dreams.

PAINTING EXHIBITS:

2001 1st Cebu Open Air Art-Festival (Garden and Lagoon, Ayala Center, Cebu) 

           Shade of Sumer (SM Art Center, Cebu Phil.)

           Art Explosion (Ayala Center, Cebu Phil.)


2002 Colores De Verano (Montebello Villa Hotel, Cebu Phil.)


2003 CAA Art Exhibit & Induction Ceremony (Casa Gorordo Museum, Cebu Phil.)

2004 CAA Art Exhibit & Induction Ceremony (Casa Gorordo Museum, Cebu Phil.)

         Mixed Works (Sasanora, Cebu Phil.)

2005 CAA Art Exhibit & Induction Ceremony (Casa Gorordo Museum, Cebu Phil.)

         CAA Midyear Art Exhibit (Waterfront Hotel, Cebu Phil.)

         Panag Hugpong (SM Art Center, Cebu Phil.)

         Pinta sa Abril (JY Mall Lahug, Cebu Phil.)

Ataa Alumni Art Exhibit (St Theresa Auditorium, Mango Cebu City)


2006 69th CAA Art Exhibit (SM Art Center, Cebu Phil.)

         Artnight @ the Tops ( Tops Busay, Cebu City)

         Art Portal of Cebu (Waterfront Hotel, Cebu Phil.)

2007 Visual Variation (SM Art Center, Cebu Phil.)


2008 Argao 400 (SM Art Center, Cebu Phil.)

Q Gallery Grand Opening (Q Gallery,A.S Fortuna St.,Mandaue City.)

         2009 Modes of Summer (SM Art Center, Cebu Phil.)


“Palitada” A Two Man Show W/ Jess Najarro (Q Gallery,Mandaue City)                 



          Kibilin sa Tinuohan “ Pahinungod sa Sugbo’ (SM Art Center, Cebu Phil.)

         73rd CAA Art Exhibit (SM Art Center, Cebu Phil.)

         Mix and Match (Waterfront Hotel, Cebu Phil.)

2011 In His Image (Self Portrait) (SM Art Center, Cebu Phil.)

2012 An Art Journey (1st One Man Show) (CAA;Aloha Apartelle, Cebu City)

     Portrait and Scene (SM, Cebu Phil.)

Landscape and Scene (CICC Cebu Phil.)

         Paspi Group Show (CHAC Museum, Cebu City)

2021 Pasundayag sa taga sugbo (Aroma Art Gallery,Toledo City)

          TIGUM-TIGUM+ BISWAL (The Artwalk of Fame, Skyhall, SM Seaside City

         Cebu Phil.)

         MUGNA + LANTAW-2 (ART PORTAL CEBU- Consolacion, Cebu)

         NATURE: ART’S INFLUENCE (Rizal Memorial Library and Museum,Osmena

         Blvd, Cebu City)

         ART TABANG 4 / VFA Visayas Art Fair (PASPI)-Montebello Villa Hotel, 

         Banilad,Cebu City

2022 PAGLAUM (Upper Level Near Lemon Grass, SM Seaside City Cebu Phil.)

PAKIGSAULOG SA KADAUGAN (Mactan New Town, Lapu Lapu City.)

UNANG SUMAD (ART PORTAL CEBU- Consolacion, Cebu.)

AMUMA NI MAMA (Lower Ground Level, SM City Cebu Phil.)

 



AWARDS:

2023  First Prize Winner, Cordova on the Spot Painting Contest

2021 3nd Prize Winner (Dr. Jose Rizal Portrait Painting Contest Sponsored by: CHAC-Cebu City


2021 3nd Prize Winner (Visayas Art fair on the Spot Painting Contest Sponsored by : VAF

2008 2nd Prize Winner (Don Martino Abellana on the Spot Painting Contest) Sponsored by: CHAC Municipality of Car-Car

.

2007 Finalist (Don Martino Abellana on the Spot Painting Contest) Sponsored by Donia Modesta Gaisano

2004 Finalist (Bagakay Point Light Station Painting Competition) Sponsored by: Coastal Highpoint Ventures Inc. Cebu Phil.

2002 Finalist (Don Martino Abellana on the Spot Painting Contest) Sponsored by: Donia Modesta Gaisano)

1994 First Prize Winner (On the Spot Poster Making & Slogan Contest) Sponsored by DOST) Surigao City

1993 Artist of the year (Awardee) Surigao Del Norte School of Arts & Trade (SNSAT) commencement.

1993 2nd Place (On the Spot poster Making & Slogan Contest) Sponsored by Dost Surigao City

1993 3rd Runner-up (Regional on the Spot poster Making & Slogan Contest Sponsored by DECS r10) MalayBalay, Bukidnon

 


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