From the entrance to the second gallery, the painting was still rather far away, yet it caught my eye immediately. It was framed by many layers of panels that partitioned the gallery into smaller sections, drawing your attention to it from a distance. Due to the unique way it was presented, the artwork was obviously one of the exhibit’s centerpieces.

The painting is the Sombrero ni Inay, one of Araceli Limcaco-Dans’ detailed and intricate still lifes currently on display at the UP Fine Arts Gallery. It shows a woven straw hat, partially draped by the contrasting delicate detail of the laced and embroidered garment and a tangle of immaculate blooms, showing signs of wear.

This is an artist at her peak and with full command of her powers. Sombrero ni Inay is a masterclass in texture, lighting, contrasts, composition and technique. Cheloy’s attention to detail is clear in the sombrero’s strands and unraveling, the burda’s see-through qualities, the garment’s folds, the weave’s symmetry and the base’s reflections. One can feel the softness of the lace and the texture of the piña.

The calado is Araceli Dans in her element. The calado is her signature.

Tony Dans, the fifth of Araceli Dans’ 10 children, is the owner of the artwork. When he got married, his mother gave him the picture and a few other pieces of art. It is his wife Inday’s favorite.

What is noteworthy about Cheloy: Impressions from a Beautiful Soul, the current Araceli Dans exhibit at the UP Fine Arts Gallery, is that the majority of the artwork on show is either owned by her children or comes from private files that were only discovered in envelopes after her death and have never been viewed by the public.

The exhibit encompasses her life’s work from very early on until her death. The calados are given their usual recognition. But other works not typically showcased yet essential to forming a more complete understanding of her overall makeup and persona, are also highlighted.

The collection features a number of studies and experiments, works in progress under development prior to their eventual completion and release as final masterpieces.

The show is about the journey. The process. The grind. As much as it is about the final outcome. Past exhibits revolved around themes, her finest portraits or the Flowers and Lace series on water color. In Cheloy: Impressions from a Beautiful Soul, the entire range of her catalogue is on display, revealing a wholistic evolution of the artist and the person.