Friday, November 21, 2014

SAN SALVADOR ISLAND: Tranquil beauty that beckons- photos by Densdec

We ride a banca with other passengers going to the island of San Salvador for the fare of ten pesos each only. The sea is the color of turquoise and is pleasantly placid during the trip. I chat with an elderly passenger, lola Agapita who is a native of the island. At the age of seventy seven, she is still strong and sprightly and can carry a bundle of wood to the banca. She has eleven children and sixty grandchildren, and makes native delicacies like suman for a living. Joie de vivre is clearly written on her face. Indeed, she is a woman who has joyfully lived every single moment of her life in this peaceful, rustic island.

San Salvador is located off the coast of Masinloc, Zambales. It is not only a home for fishermen but also its sea is a sanctuary for clams locally called taklobos. It has a quality that bewitches any visitor to the island. Its beauty doesn't shout and is not imposing. Rather, like a demure Zambalena, its beauty charms, silently calls and steals one's heart slowly.

The shore is cream colored like the pastillas, a local delicacy made from carabao's milk and is a specialty in this area of Zambales. The verdant trees locally called aroma line the shore and have thorny branches that stretch far as if eagerly reaching for the sea and the azure sky. Some backyards have sturdy green stalks of rice that are pregnant with golden grains waiting to be harvested. Seaweeds are left to dry under the sun for they will be used for gelatin making.

With my tapis and accessories to match, I am ready for our photoshoot. Densdec starts taking my photos and I internalize and immerse myself in the tranquil beauty of my surroundings.

As we ride the banca to leave San Salvador before the sun sets, I can't help but glance back with a tinge of sadness in my heart. I listen to the rustling of the aroma leaves and the murmur of the waves as if beckoning me to return for another sojourn. I smile then sigh as the island grows smaller and smaller as we travel back to the mainland. Surely, I will miss the island that bewitched me and unexpectedly stole my heart. :)






                                          A treasure from the sea
                                          Enjoying my own company
                                          Oh I could be a mermaid forever...

                          The tranquil beauty of San Salvador Island


                                 The charming lola Agapita talks about her life
                                          Loving the sea and sky





THE ARTIST IS THE ART- photography by Densdec

Being a spontaneous photographer is opening one's eyes to the different photographic opportunities around. It is thinking outside the box or better still, thinking without a box. This creative thinking is exactly what Densdec did. With his point and shoot digital camera, he made use of the native mat locally called "banig", foil, bubble wrap, wax paper, scarf, leaves and cicada's dry skin to come up with interesting shots making me, the artist as the art.




























FIRE AND RAIN- the art of Alen Knezevic from Croatia

How does one describe the art of Alen Knezevic? It is fire and rain. The burning passion that is fire and the pouring vision that is rain, both expressed in his art.

Alen Knezevic, a twenty nine year old artist from Croatia, started his career in art in 2012. This was the year when he held steadfast to his faith, embraced christianity and emerged victorious from a personal crisis.

He was greatly inspired by the works of the masters in art that he saw in various museums in Louvre and Versailles, France. However, although this experience ignited his passion for the visual arts, he primarily attributes his artistic pursuit to God's divine guidance.

Alen is a highly creative, intelligent and versatile artist. He does paper art (quilling, collages, book scrapping) and book art wherein he incorporates words in his visual art so as to weave a story. He also paints and uses a variety of techniques and media such as fire, acrylic and watercolor.There is absolutely no limit to his imagination and ardor for his artistic creations; for him, any material can be used in art by a resourceful artist with a fertile imagination. He is also into photography with landscape and people as his favorite subjects.

The art of Alen manifests his inner struggles, philosophical beliefs, visions in life, hopes and dreams. His is intelligent art that vibrates with color and resonates with passion and ideas. He presents how he sees the world, his ideas and stand on matters and interprets them in the form of satire, folk art or fantasy.

Looking at his work is a sublime experience. The viewer goes into contemplation as he gazes at his work and is pleasantly absorbed by the intensity of colors, the fine details as well as the depth of the message conveyed.

Interested art buyers/ collectors can get in touch with him through his email address which is alen2716@gmail.com





   




                                          The art of Alen Knezevic