The Anthem Philatelist

Love That Binds 2, 12"x 12", Acrylic on Palette Board, 2022 In artistic creation, unconventional ideas often emerge from unexpected places . When painting with acrylics, Celso Pepito frequently utilizes matboard as a palette. Over time, these boards accumulate heavy layers of paint, eventually making them difficult to use for mixing. Early in his career, Pepito simply discarded them. However, a turning point came when an Indian art collector sought a unique, non-traditional piece. While brainstorming concepts in the Quezon City studio, Pepito noticed a discarded palette board and decided to use its textured surface as a canvas. When the collector visited, he was immediately captivated by the artwork. Since that pivotal moment, the artist has preserved these old palette boards, transforming former studio waste into a foundation for future creative endeavors. Love That Binds 1, 12"x 12", Acrylic on Palette Board, 2022 Featured as a subset of the Linugdang collecti...

  Minglanilla River, 33" x 47", Oil on Canvas, 1986 For some artists, a work art of can become part of themselves and are hard to let go of.  Such is Celso Duazo Pepito 's the Minglanilla River , an oil on canvas painting he created in 1986. During this pre-cubism period, he was obsessed with the use of a palette knife .  " I remember, I consumed almost 2 tubes of 200 ml white oil paints.  That was the time when 200 ml was only 12 pesos", he fondly recalls. Martino Abellana was his foremost influence in understanding the use of color.   " The Law of Simultaneous Contrast that he shared with us in our art class was one great guide in my creativity, understanding the proper use of warm and cool colors, even up to now when i am following the Cubistic style", he said.   "It was great to remember the past in relation to the future as I continue my journey as a painter." Master Celso, why is this painting so close to your heart you're ...

  Celso Pepito, Pencil Sketch, 2022 The bond between a mother and her child is one of humanity’s most enduring narratives, an intimate connection that artists have continually sought to capture across different artistic traditions. When explored through the lenses of sketches by Celso Pepito (above) and Adeste Deguilmo (below) , drawings, monoprint, and mixed media , this timeless archetype evolves beyond standard representation. Each layer of medium provides a distinct emotional texture, transforming a singular theme into an expansive visual dialogue on vulnerability, strength, and memory. Adeste Deguilmo, "Lullaby", Pencil Sketch, 2020 The exploration begins with the raw immediacy of sketches as in this early (1988), distinctive work by Gil Maningo  and the limited continuous line drawings by Wenceslao Cuevas .  Pencil, charcoal, or ink on paper capture the ephemeral, fleeting seconds of early motherhood—the gentle tilt of a head, the heavy warmth of a sleeping infan...

  Vintage Piece 2, Oil on Canvas 2005   Antonio Vidal's artistic journey began at an early age.  He has shown and discovered his penchant for art even before entering his elementary education.  Born and raised in Puerto Princesa, Cebu , he used to go to his mother to church and got fascinated with the Cherubim , decorating the house of God.  His exposure to religious processions , especially during fiesta celebration, has added up to his intention to draw angels and other spiritually-enriching images.  As he continually joins his mother attending church activities, his strong interest in ecclesiastical arts gradually manifested. With much encouragement and support from his father, Tony decided to enroll in an art workshop in Gallery 90 in Cebu .  With positive guidance and motivation from his mentors, he learned the basic of doing portraiture in black and white providing comfort and ease in this medium.  This led him enrolling at the UP Cebu F...

Pensteps in Florida, 8.5"x 11", 2017 Celso Duazo Pepito , a celebrated Cebuano visual artist , frequently documents his life and travels through short, on-the-spot sketches . While he is primarily known for his modernist cubist paintings that depict faith, family, and nationalism, his spontaneous pen, pencil, and sketch pad drawings capture scenes from his real-time environments. Pepito views sketching as a personal testament to his journeys. He carries a sketch pad everywhere, capturing landscapes, architectural details, and natural scenes—including trees, foliage, and landmarks—within 5 to 30 minutes.   Even a wait at a gas station becomes an opportunity for him to sketch on old receipts .  He has exhibited his rapid on-the-spot travel sketches and drawings from international journeys across Peru, the United States, Luxembourg , Malaysia , Indonesia , China and Singapore .   Alongside his wife, Fe Madrid Pepito , he frequently engages in live on-the-spot sessions , oft...

    My maternal grandparents were from Mainit , Alipao, Alegria , Surigao del Norte.  In the 1930’s, the families of Odtojan , Baluran , Labaso , Senturias , Rubilla and Seroy emerged simultaneously and inhabited the place. Because they were bound by faith and the common vision for a better tomorrow, these families started to cultivate the area of Candiis that had a total land area of not more than 300 hectares.  The first Teniente del Barrio was Alvaro Odtojan Senturias Sr.  who served until the end of the World War II. One of the succeeding Teniente del Barrio was my late aunt Pacensia "Pacing" Odtojan Beniga (Lesoy). Before the war , my grandfather Eugenio Anino Beniga (son of Pantaleon Beniga), a surveyor from Sevilla, Bohol went to Surigao , met and married a pious local beauty, Felina Caerlang Odtojan . They were simple rice farmers who owned and tilled 25 hectares of land in that area.  During my childhood days in the 70's, my fond memor...

" Sketching is already a part of my life since I became a member of the Creative Industry. It started simply to improve on my drawing skills, as advised by the late Julian Jumalon , it became a part of my creative passion in relation to my desire to making use of my time, as productive as possible. Our 10 day latest trip to Malaysia and Singapore were indeed, another exciting journey for me as a painter.   These 13 out of the 25 sketches i have done from Manila to KLIA2 , to Ipoh , to Taiping, to Kuala Kangsar , to Singapore , to KLIA2, to Manila , and to Cebu , were testaments of my fascination in recording my travel, through sketching.   Making this journey was a gift of joy for me, as i have enjoyed every minute I spent in many places we have visited In Malaysia and Singapore.   I am hoping that these 13 sketches will add more fulfillment to a freind who values the importance of collecting sketches!   In the end, i realized that bringing with me my pen, pencil...