Saturday, March 27, 2010

CARMELITO SANTOS Artist/Poet (A Biographical Sketch)

(Photos of the artist and his paintings will be posted later.)

There is a point in an artist's life when he feels stifled, experiencing a certain dulling of the imagination, and he feels the need to reshape the intrinsic creative vision that once filled his life with excitement. For so long he has been a craftsman who worked with technical precision, with emphasis on form, conveying his fidelity to realism as inspired by the masters, catering to the delicate taste of the general masses.

Suddenly he is tired of producing pastiche works and longs for a sense of independence, to create freer compositions with a startling robust style - intense and evoking, shattering of form and balance that dissolves his objects into abstract forms.

Carmelito ("Lito") Santos was not an exception to this inner conflict and he sought to restructure his creative vision. He has triumphantly reinvented himself as an artist, and he feels a sense of freedom and joyous release. Today, he paints with a new style of self-expression that is distinctively his own. Once again, he feels his spiritual energy flowing into an emotional expression of life as he creates works that are radical, reckless, and in his words, "schizophrenic."

Painted in unrestrained bold strokes and vibrant tones, Santos' canvases explode with stunning luminosity, vibrant tones and shades that project his immense vitality and freedom of artistic expression. Some people may find his style too harsh and not in harmony with his gentle personality, but such is the risk he recognized in his creative transformation.

Lito Santos's latest works of art feed his homesickness for the Motherland, his longing for the past. "They are a depiction of my remembrances," he laments, "my solace, a big part of my life emotionally." Christmas heightens a certain loneliness in him, which he reveals in the following soulful poems he penned.

Christmas Carols Make Me Cry

they hurt away from a tropical
golden harvest scent,
away from a permeating odor
of burnt sheets of banana leaves
(lining earthen bake wares),
of shredded coconut
and soaking powdered rice,
of charcoal embers
and coconut husk and betel nut
chewing ancient women, stall owners.
(they crowd the church's apron
with gas lamps and candles and electric bulbs,
and smoke and stench of
acrid smell and sweet dispositions.)

they hurt. yes, christmas carols hurt
away from hearts longed for and missed.
too, they hurt away from tolling bells at deep
dawn, away from some sleepy
crowd of loved and familiar faces
at an after midnight mass.

they hurt to subdued tears and muffled sighs
and choking breathless cries.
yes, christmas carols hurt away from true loves
now in nostalgia,
i hear the clatter of feet on asphalt,
homeward by lantern glow and star light,
after the bells ring the termination
of a day's sacred calling.

yes, now I see lanterns on windows
lighting the way back.
yet now, away from their glare and brilliance,
they burn my eyes wet. they hurt.

christmas carols make me cry.

Christmas Memories Through Lanterns
And Clotheslines


Clothes and tapestries
on clotheslines,
but colors
on that one december
rain on lanterns
lit, .i remember
the odious
muelle on that one day
forever.

old christmas
reflects
on my tears now, now in years
and replace.

memories
are there
to reach for,
to hold on to, to cry for.

i'm older now.
thoughts
fleet in turns
to erode river bank
and the adobe shoring
at each bend.

feelings
are frail.
they break
so easily
to show,
to flow
awkwardly
into tears.



Santos has exhibited and sold his artworks in some of the prestigious Cherry Creek galleries in Denver and in various other art galleries in Colorado. He has had several one-man shows at The Gallery in the City of Aurora's main library, and the Fox Theatre. He was also the featured artist of the Asian Film Festival, which was co-sponsored by the Aurora Asian Pacific Community Partnership. Through the years he has actively represented the Philippines, albeit unofficially, through his art and poetry, his dances and songs at several cultural and artistic activities, which include the Asian Pacific Festivals and the Martin Marietta Pacific Islander celebrations. In May of this year, he was the only Filipino artist to participate in the "ARTIST ASIA" - an annual art show sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank in downtown, Denver.

This versatile artist has not limited his creative prowess to painting landscapes and portraits in all mediums. He is also a sculptor, creating figures from wood, clay and plaster. In one collaborative effort, he has designed the stained glass window backing the statue of Our Lady of Antipolo at the Queen of Peace Church. Blessed with the gift of the words, Santos also writes poetry.

In the words of one fan: "I can see, I can taste, I can smell the things and places that you are talking about." For most of his later paintings, Santos has written a corresponding poem to go with each work. "Poetry expresses my own personal emotions," he says, "and my passion for my subject matter. I believe that each one of my paintings illicit a different set of emotions from my viewers. My poetry personalizes it for me. In my paintings, my style is reckless in many ways, a style I enjoy very much. It provides me with the freedom and abandon that I need. It sustains my rebellious soul. In my art and in my heart, fences are non-existent. My heart is my only master. I answer to no one. In spite of the potential harm to the commercial value of my paintings, I can't prostitute myself to the dictates of forces other than my heart. I am of the belief that art should not be "technicalized". Engineers, architects and scientist are technicians. I am an emotionalist."

Born in Bacolor, Pampanga, Philippines, Santos lives in Aurora with his wife, the former Andrea Navarro of Biliran Island, Leyte, whom he affectionately refers to as his "first and only love." They have five children ranging in age from 22 to 39 - all accomplished professionals in their respective fields. Emilio, the eldest, is a math teacher who was named Colorado Coach of the Year three years ago when his girls' volleyball team took the State Championship. "They are my masterpieces," he says, "collectively entitled, "E-A-R-T-H" taken from the first letter of each first name: Emilio, Ann, Roche, Theresa and Hallel. "When Andrea and I got married, we planned on spelling out "Earth angels" with eleven kids. The move to America rendered that plan impractical."

Last year, he established his own company called EARTH CA after his children's names. He intends to sell his art and inspirational greeting cards. The cards are based on his paintings, writings and photography. He dreams of eventually publishing a book of his paintings and writings.

Santos has been active in the community since moving to Colorado in 1975. With his wife, he has taught, performed, choreographed and produced cultural shows to meet the community needs of Aurora and other communities. Currently, he is the president of The Bayanihan Society of Queen of Peace, a prayer group predicated on the Filipino spirit of caring and sharing. "I believe in giving back to my community," he says, "for I am very thankful to my God and my two countries."

© Copyright 2008 writeartista (UN: mariapanlilio at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.

1 comment:

  1. An artist and a poet. Great combination.
    You people just overflow with talent. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete