OUR LADY OF COFFEE

In hues of brown and paisley dreams, Sunshine Plata creates beauty of surreal themes using caffeinated beans.

Actually she uses instant coffee more than brewed coffee from beans. But you get the picture: a petite artist who paints using coffee.

Mother and Child: (Clockwise) The artist with her mother, A mother and child fairy painting, An Our Lady version, and Diwata.

Addicted artist

Sunshine’s caffeine addiction started when she saw a 19^th century signature made with coffee displayed at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum. The artist within her, stimulated perhaps by the invigorating prowess of coffee, woke up and her relationship with coffee as a painting medium has since then prospered.

Initially a psychology student at the University of Sto. Tomas, Sunshine shifted to fine arts in her second year after realizing her love for art. “Kahit ako noon, di ako naniniwala na kayang mabuhay sa art (Even I used to believe that you can’t live on art). [It is about] letting out positive energy. Financial aspect will follow,” she said. And follow it did.

After her very first exhibition, LSD (look, smell, discover) Trip by Caffeine, which was sponsored by Nescafe, her peculiar art has gained renown from all over. She was able to sell 27 of her 33 paintings during the exhibit, and sold the remaining—by an interesting twist of fate—to Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Her works have also been exhibited at Times Square in New York for the Martha Stewart Show.

During her more bitter coffee moments as she struggled to present her art to the world, she recounted when she tried to exhibit at the art galleries in SM Megamall. “None of them wanted to exhibit my art kasi di daw (because it is not a) legitimate medium. Wow ang lupet naman nun, ganun ba karepulsive trabaho ko (that is harsh, are my works really that repulsive)?” she laughingly reminisced.

The author with the artist and her prized "Diwata"

Fairy by heart

“I used to want to be a fairy,” the youthful Sunshine said. An avid fan of Thumbelina for her freedom to explore new things, Sunshine reflects her surreal views and her sprightly character in her many works.

Many of her subjects are of cutesy fairies or beautiful diwatas. Her favorite piece, Diwata, has already been seen in other countries and was her third work to gain international recognition. She saw her tragically drowning during a very vivid dream. Ever the positive one, she decided “If you’re going to drown, you should drown in style.”

What sets her apart however from other coffee artists, like the ones in Cordillera, are her intricate paisley designs and patterns. No design is ever repeated as she does the time-consuming detailing spontaneously. Sometimes she even surprises herself.

Catholic in spirit

Apart from the surrealism of the fairy world, Sunshine also paints a lot of religious themes, particularly Our Lady. In many of her works what might be mistaken as an ordinary portrait of a woman is actually a version of our Holy Mother.  An example is her Our Lady of Japan which features the Virgin Mother with the Child Jesus in a kimono garb complete with a Japanese landscape background.

Her catholic upbringing has also brought her to teach art classes to underprivileged children. Not having gone to art school herself, Sunshine understands the importance of having a support system to pursue your art. “When love and skill work together, you create a masterpiece. After that comes greater turns,” she said.

Exploring beyond the coffeemaker

Coffee, with its many invigorating properties, is a complex medium to work with. Paintings done with it only lasts for 75 years, shorter compared to paintings made with oil or acrylic, but longer than other non-traditional painting media used by “radical” artists nowadays like chocolate or tea.

Her framing is also done in different way. Enough space must be placed in between the painting and the glass to prevent moisture from causing fungal growth in the canvass.

It does have its perks though, particularly in its affordability. Sunshine just needs tap water and a few pack of instant coffee and she is ready to paint. For lighter hues less coffee is diluted in more water and vice versa for darker hues.

“In the future I plan to use mixed media, to provide evolution, or dabble with watercolor,” she said. “Ang dami-daming may kape, pwede din nilang gawin,” she added.

“At this point I’m fulfilled already, kaso hindi pa rin perfect (but still not perfect). At this point I can’t ask for anything more.” Asked if she will go to portraiture, “I can’t do portraits, I’m planning to learn, I might not give the person justice.”

Though she believes that art is politicized and it is a battle of the fittest, her attitude is “take it or leave it.” She tries to distance herself from the negativity many young artists show in their works nowadays.

“Kapag nagpaka-gory, magpapanggap lang ako, baka tumagal lang ung painting. Sana sumasaya sila. (If I create something gory, I will only be untrue to my art, it might take too long to finish. I hope they become happy)” She jokingly adds “Maybe, kapag naconsume na ako ng dark side (If the dark side consumes me).”

BAGGING FASHION GLORY

Below is my interview with bag designer Paul Herrera for my J195 (Lifestyle Reporting) under Prof. Rachel Khan.

Louis V. and Prada just might pack their bags with this resounding young designer around, because for him designing is not just art, it is a battle, and he has come to win.

Paul Herrera is known as the accessory-designing half of the Herrera tandem along with his couture designer twin John. Though five minutes younger than his brother, Paul is no infant in the world of fashion.

As early as five years of age, Paul knew he was inclined in the arts. He would watch beauty pageants and spend summers with his brother sketching designs of national costumes, long gowns and swimsuits for candidates of different countries. “We always competed pa for our other sibling’s favor,” he said.

Paul initially took computer science in college, but transferred to theater arts at the University of the Philippines to pursue his artistic hunger. Doing all those costumes and set designs made him realize that his passion is in fashion.

After receiving his certificate, he worked as a design assistant for international bag designer Bea Valdes for a year. Not contented with just learning how to design bags, he enrolled at the Fashion Institute of the Philippines. “Somehow I knew that learning women’s patterns would aid me in making exceptional patterns for bags, I was right.”

Designing accessories came from his interest in books, especially Japanese do-it-yourself manuals. “Arts and crafts books to be exact. So wala masyadong ‘reading’, it was more of skimming through diagrams and projects, and I would do them at our studio,” he said.

But his biggest break came in 2007 after winning both the prestigious Philippine Young Designer’s Competition and bagging Metro Magazine’s Best Design for Accessories. “After that, I just kept going, kept doing my stuff. [I] made a commitment to do bags and accessories only to introduce myself to my target market,” and he kept on going from there on.

Just last May, Paul was able to put together his very first solo fashion show during the Philippine Fashion Week. Paul who is usually commissioned by other designers—his twin included—for show collaborations, was able to show what a Paul Herrera collection means. “The relationship between making something that stands out because of its beauty and beauty that lasts is what Paul Herrera bags are all about.”

His Vertigo design, a black and white day shopper, easily sells every week. For Paul, the handling of his bags is probably one of its stronger selling points. “It’s easy to make a beautiful bag, but one that you can clean, wash and use repeatedly is not. It’s a serious concern for a designer,” he added

His designs are mostly inspired by nature and unlike his twin’s muted inspirations, he provides drama and movement. Studded acrylic beads fill his visually stimulating night bags with patterns of rosettes and stylized leaves. His day bags on the other hand will definitely liven up your day with their bright hues and striking patterns.

Working with his brother however is a symbiosis that will not end anytime soon. Just last July 30, Paul provided old Hollywood glamor themed hats for his brother’s Metrowear show. “My twin and I share a mutual respect for each other’s designs. We are very different but the combination of our styles usually rakes in good reviews from our clients and friends in the industry,” he said.

Paul has always considered John as his ever-present support system and inspiration: “The sweetest client when he wants something done, the meanest critic when my stuff don’t appeal to him.” But through everything that they do, John is a kind brother, a confidant and a friend. “It would be a boring life if we not only look alike but think alike as well,” Paul added.

Now a distinguished faculty member of the Fashion Institute of the Philippines, along with his brother, Paul inspires the next generation of fashion designers as he himself continues to do what he does best. He describes the fashion industry as tough and serious, “The next-big-thing happens every season. Fashion has escalated from being an artistic field to a lucrative marketing and advertising field,” he added.

“The stigma of [the] attractive designer, one’s own muse, is at high priority. The designer, now more than ever, is a product to be sold. And it’s amazing,”

For Paul what is important for now is that he is finally recognized in the industry, “Because you know that all the years you put into schooling, and training yourself to be a part of the fashion industry is finally paying off.”

The battle is far from over but Paul’s future as a designer is as colorful as the bags he designs. “For my brand, I want a high end perfume (laughs), leather bags [that are] 100% leather. A bag design school. Plans, I’ve got lots of those.”

HELL WEEK

The past two weeks of pure midterm hell are finally over. Sleepless nights, strained typing fingers, and bloodshot eyes are now things of the past…at least for now.

Going through my midterm hell weeks was like a whirlwind of stress and relief. Right after battling and succeeding, you brace yourself for another round. No wonder I wasn’t able to do anything for this post-forsaken blog.

Let me share what happened to my academic necromancy over the past two weeks.

I was like a walking zombie trying to juggle 21 units. Exams were minimal but the papers were abundant. ComRes 101 is like hell on a platter. Doing research and encoding for every thesis part was like going through death…with the light at the end of the tunnel barely shining.

The only noteworthy academic accomplishments I was able to do for my midterms were finishing the website I did for my J122 (Publication Design and Layout) and the midterm plate I did for my J123 (Photojournalism).

The website is not fully operational yet, and isn’t a site per se…more of a page actually. The whole site will be up and running by the end of the semester, that will be our final exam for the class. Why am I making such a big fuss about this? It is because we are required to create sites from scratch using only HTML hand coding! I don’t know about you guys, but HTML hand coding can be a very tedious process, especially if you’re the unorganized type of person. Try visiting it, and tell me what you think about it (plus it would really help in increasing my site hits).

Creating my midterm plate for photojournalism was one heck of an experience. Imagine having to follow the resident crazy dude of UP—Zorro—in the pouring rain, just so you could take 40 frames showing different angles. Not to mention having a bitchy friend tag along with you (thanks a bunch for the help Kea!), while trying to protect a DSLR from getting soaked, whilst preventing mud from splattering on your beige shorts and white loafers. It’s not easy.