By Jeremae D. Jumao-as / Special to the BusinessMirror
Whenever I take a long ride, I always catch myself gazing out of the window and look up to the sky. Often I tell myself, I can do more and be anywhere I want as long as I keep my feet on the ground and with God at the center of everything.
But in the midst of blissful dreams and thoughts in my head is the awareness that I also hurt inside.
Having been raised in a broken home, I thirst for a complete and happy family. Oh, I am happy with my loved ones, but there remains an empty space in my heart.
Then one day fate brought me to this place that changed my appreciation of life’s inequities.
I was looking for the room number of the gallery when a gated house with a peculiar fish symbol caught my attention. “Ay, ’yun na ’yun!” I muttered to myself.
This lovely kid opened the gate and said, “Oh, wait! I’m gonna call my dad.”
Soon a soft voice intervened, and I saw this man with the friendliest of smiles.
Looking at him, you would not think he is this big persona behind all the craft. The man is so simple, so very accommodating.
Our conversation was not the traditional Q&A. Rather, it was a free-wheeling discussion of his craft. We started like we were in a classroom, getting to know each other first with casual, random questions like how and when did all this craft began.
He said, “My mom usually answers that question. She always says that when I was still in her womb. She suspects I was already sketching.”
Ernesto R. Tagle, known as E.R. Tagle in the Philippine art scene, is a renowned Filipino positivism exponent and painter. The BusinessMirror was invited to his exhibit, titled The Family. In the exhibit, the artist presents a new line of charcoal drawings that center on the Filipino family, conveying a positive message of overcoming challenges in the family. Tagle devoted his five-decade-old career advocating for positive Filipino virtues in his work.
About style, the fish is his own mark. Tagle believes it is because of his own spiritual bent. He uses acrylic as medium and not oil for the reason that oils are environmentally hazardous and dangerous to health.
At present, a new line of medium in Tagle’s progression is charcoal, which he also teaches in his art workshops. He had been sharing his art and craft for free for some time now, most especially with special and street children. Tagle even mentored those afflicted with leukemia and helped them sell their artworks in an exhibit way back in 1996, entitled Colors of Hope.
He dreams of building a museum and an art gallery, where he can display and sell the works of street children, as he has always been an advocate of their talent and well-being. Tagle believes that through sharing, he can convey love and nurture people’s individual potential.
Personal struggles and rejections do not wear him down. Tagle considers what he has as gifts from God and therefore a privilege. I was surprised when he said that. That kind of mind-set could only come from hard work and unceasing practice of the craft.
“It is not all about the hardships. In my works, I like to portray the fruit of each family member’s labor. There is an element of blessing and abundance in my composition, which I believe is God’s good plan for all of us,” he said.
He added, “With my charcoal drawings, I wish to bring the message of love and unity to more Filipino homes. That upon seeing it, we take and keep something with us that will fill our heart and spirit.”
I came out of the Tagle interview thinking how we all try to find what is missing in our lives, fill the empty spaces our own way, focusing only on our needs and frustrations. Tagle’s craft teaches that life is about finding the pieces of the puzzle. That as we wake up in the morning, the new day is chance, no, a privilege to create and put back all the broken pieces of our lives together.
The Family is ongoing until August 31 at Tagle’s showroom at Unit 1011, Makati Square Tower Complex on Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City. All the artworks are for sale and for the benefit of the less fortunate children attending Tagle’s workshops.