Distilling emotion with the textures and colors of nature

Erikson Arcilla paints flowers thriving on rocks

FOR Erikson Arcilla, his recent stint at Art Fair Philippines — where he presented meditative oil paintings of moss growing on rock formations — affirmed that he was heading in the right direction.

A self-taught artist known for fantasy-inspired landscapes, he now focuses his brush on delicate florals that contrast with the rugged, rocky terrain from which they emerge, to suggest a coexistence of permanence and vulnerability. At Art Underground, around 10 of Mr. Arcilla’s works will make up an exhibit titled The Longest Wait Makes the Prettiest Flowers, for guests to peruse and purchase.

The paintings, set to go on view starting July 21, will offer glimpses of the latest progression in the artist’s nature-inspired techniques.

They will also serve as proof of over a decade of constantly improving himself, from the time he quit his corporate job in 2016 to sell his paintings on Facebook, to getting managed by Art Underground in 2017, to joining art fairs in the Philippines and abroad starting 2022.

Mr. Arcilla detailed how his first works were surreal compositions, all rooted in the realities of global warming, which stemmed from his fascination with nature.

“It became a journey of painting something that was very loud in terms of advocacy to painting emotional states. I thought, maybe I should paint a visual representation of emotion rather than trying so hard to be loud about certain things,” he told BusinessWorld in an interview.

“In 2020, I started the idea of painting stone, or at least developing the technique. I started with cement because this was a time when I felt like Manila was so gray. Then I transitioned by looking for something beautiful, peaceful, where I will find solitude. So, I started painting moss,” he explained. “It’s everywhere; it’s thriving. I find it pretty. Then I said, we can still push this further. What goes with moss? What does the world interact with? Flowers, roots, everything. Let’s incorporate all of that.”

The upcoming show, which serves as a sort of sequel to Mr. Arcilla’s pieces at Art Fair Philippines, centers on floral life growing out of inhospitable terrain.

Inspired by the oldest limestone and ammonite fossil reserves in the Philippines, located in his home province of Catanduanes, the rocks are gray with muted green moss growing all over them, the level of detail akin to pointillism. The contrast of the vibrant, light hues of the orchids growing atop the rocks capture a sense of hope and resilience.

Coming from the tranquil scenes of rock and moss in his previous show, the pieces in The Longest Wait Makes The Prettiest Flowers add a transformative element to the artist’s practice. He told the press that the dark gray backgrounds and the muted stone and moss helped bring forward the vibrant top layer of flowers — a progression of his technique of painting by layers.

“I like distilling. The process goes like, you get an emotion, you get an idea, and then you distill it, and distill it, and distill it,” said Mr. Arcilla. “The goal is not necessarily to paint something that’s realistic. It’s just a natural consequence of trying to improve. You just play with the emotions that you feel, and see how you can visually represent that.”

It took the better part of a decade for him to make this artistic journey, he explained, with art collector Mike Tomacruz and Art Underground owner Nico Teotico being the key figures who led him to a proper career in art.

“Solo shows were not something familiar to me because I did not go to art school,” he said. “But I’ve been here for eight years now.”

The title of his show, The Longest Wait Makes the Prettiest Flowers, speaks for itself, now that he’s set to have his 12^th solo show with Art Underground, after also having pieces on display at the upcoming Modern and Contemporary Art Festival (MoCAF) from July 3 to 5.

“When you’re patient, chips just fall in the right places. The idea is really just to do your due diligence, put your head down, work when you can, rest when you can, and things will work out,” Mr. Arcilla said.

“It’s more of a prayer. And it’s more of a wish. I’ve done everything I could. The rest, I leave up to the everything else.”

The Longest Wait Makes the Prettiest Flowers will be on view at Art Underground, 180 Mabini St., San Juan City, starting July 21. Before that, some of Mr. Arcilla’s latest paintings will be on display at MoCAF from July 3 to 5 at the Marquis Events Place in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig. — Brontë H. Lacsamana