Childhood tunes

One of the earliest musical memories of my childhood in the Philippines were of women humming or singing a song with the word "Salidum-ay" as a refrain. I never really understood the meaning of the song and even to this day, I am still to get an exact translation of the song. Perhaps, some songs are better enjoyed for its melody and less for its lyrics. This is a painting of a sitting Kankana-ey woman humming "Salidum-ay", watercolor 7"x11".

A young audience

There is a small Fang village in Gabon called Mintoum where I spent a lot of my time starting aquaculture ponds. Each morning I arrived at a farmer's house, I was served black coffee in a tin cup and freshly made french bread and each morning, a boy watched me by the window. Sometimes, it was several children but usually, it is the same boy. I was a novelty to the village; I was the odd-looking American. It was their morning cartoon, their entertainment I suppose. This is a painting of one of my viewers. "Boy from Mintoum", watercolor 8"x11"

Water seller of Marrakesh

I only spent about a month in Morocco but the country's colors has made an impression on me. In different bus stops (where I seemed to have spent a lot my time), I would peak out the window and see these men who sell water. They always wore colorful garments of green, yellow, and red adorned with bells and brass colored cups. Amazing colors. This painting is titled "Water seller of Marrakesh", gouache 9"x12".

Ma ka andah

"Old man Reyes", gouache 10"x12"
The paintings of people I've met over the years have taken a back seat because of all the bird paintings. Therefore, I created this new blog mainly to showcase non-wildlife paintings. With wildlife, and certainly with birds, I love to bring out life from a 2D depiction. With portraits, I try (although not always successfully) to bring out human soul and character. "Ma ka andah" means "I am going home" in Fang. With these paintings, I guess I am trying to depict my version of home.