Tic Tac Toe

A blank plank of wood served as surface for a big painting (I haven't gotten around to measuring it) I began in February and resumed work on in April to offer it as birthday present for Butones, my grand-daughter. I'm hoping it lasts long enough so she can form an opinion about it when she learns to speak in sentences.

As of now, the acrylic-on-wood painting, which I've called "Tic Tac Toe Hally Hally Hoe," is hung in our porch in Baguio City and gets all naturally lit up by the morning sun. It makes for a colorful background for family pictures as these photos of my sister Suzy and the little gels show.

I thank my painting tutor Norman Chow for getting the muddle all sorted out in my head when I explained my idea for the work (he said he could figure out my incoherence because that was his work as a teacher), my spouse Rolly Fernandez for letting me use this piece of retazo wood idling in his basement, my assistants in detailing, Bianca Susi and Maylene Viray, who spent Holy Week with us in Green Valley, Baguio, to be around for Butones's birthday bash. There was no unveiling of said work, except here on this blog.

Juan Jose Cuadra, who used to answer to the name Jolicco when he wrote art reviews in the past, sent these comments through the email account of his partner Chikki Gomez, a.k.a.Auggusta de Almeidda, upon seeing past photos of my visual works in this blog: "Your childhood's deep pure innocence shows in your mature work. Innocence is important in art. All great artists have the grace of innocence in their art. It is an angelic gift, and I find it in your paintings. Nourish it well."

Grandma Sue carries Butones, Bianca stands at attention.

K stands for Butones's real name, Kai, while numbers 4 and 11 are  her birth date.

A tribute to Butones isn't complete without an elephant or two hugging her.

The full piece taken around 8 a.m. on a Friday morning.

Posing in front of work with the wee ones, Butones and Bianca

.

Detail: That button nose, or should it be tomato-shaped nose?

Another detail: There's a frog in my throat!

We're dog persons, but stray cats are constants in our porch, too.

As for socks, mismatched, paired, orphaned, they're strewn all over the nursery when Butones has full run of the room.

Bianca insisted on polka dots, and after painting three or so dozens of them, she decided to drop her brush and join the trip to Camp John Hay. Guess who was left to finish her spot?

Somewhere in the painting is a symbolic figure of Grumpa Rolly who looks delighted by the sweet sunshine in his life. Photos by Babeth Lolarga