Of dreams and butterflies

“Birds Doodle Over My Car’s Windshield.”

Veteran visual artist Ross Capili takes inspiration to make art from a lot of things, but he cites that sleeping occasionally helps him at most.

“I’m not a writer. Just a plain restless artist and dreamer. Many people ask me why I do solo shows in succession. They say I’m hardworking, but I always tell them it’s because I love sleeping. Even if I drink coffee I still fall asleep. I also like taking naps at noontime and that’s my regular habit. And everytime I wake up, I paint my dreams,” Capili said.

He immediately would paint them, thinking that whatever image he saw while dreaming would suddenly escape him. “Baka makaalpas pa,” he said.

Ross’ childhood memories and love for traveling have inspired some of his art, too. “That’s when I witness what beauty is. Like that fleeting moment when you see butterflies. Those are memories that you can’t go back to anymore. These, which I turn into artworks, can be a souvenir or memoir that unfortunately sometimes we can’t see elsewhere anymore,” Capili related.

Some of these pieces can be seen in his latest exhibition at Conrad Manila’s Gallery C entitled “Tales & Trails.” The show, as he would like to call it, is a story of beautiful images from his past, present and dreams.

“My aim as an artist is to present an alternative to this chaotic world — something that would emphasize love, relationships, music, skies, landscapes, nature and God’s greatness through the media and material I used,” he said.

Ross has mounted at least 30 shows in Manila, including Paris and the United States. He also participated in more than 35 group exhibitions in Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Mongolia, Korea and Taiwan.

As a digital artist, Ross has tried different techniques in doing art. “I always challenge myself not to portray them per se. Sometimes I use vinyl. That’s one process I enjoy. In painting, the process involves a layer one after another. When I wake up and my eyes are fresh, I immediately see what else needs to be done,” he said.

In his career as an artist, Ross has garnered 55 awards including the 1994 Philip Morris Asean Art Awards, the Pamana ng Lahi Award in San Francisco in 2001, the 2008 PATA Gold Award for Travel Photo Journalism in India and the 2009 Ani ng Dangal Presidential Award. His works have been featured in coffee table books such as Filipino Artists In Their Studios, 21st Century Filipino Artists, Art Collector’s Guidebook, Art Philippines and the recently launched Solaire: The Art + Design Collection.

“Of Art and Wine: Tales & Trails by Ross Capili” will be on display at Conrad Manila’s Gallery C until January 2020.