Why Loisse Ledres’ art gives all colors and feels

Homecoming

“Being back in the Philippines is like a homecoming in so many ways,” Ledres said. “I am home, meeting up with other Visayan artists, designers, brands and people who matter in the visual arts community.”

“Being away for 17 years, I think my confidence with regard to my artistry and within the context of my being a Filipina was a little shaken,” Ledres came clean. “I want to know and learn what was happening here. This trip is not only necessary but essential.”

Together with Jazz Digao, her manager, the roads and streets of Cebu became an exploration. She said, “I get to see the graffiti and the murals. The colors of the houses are all in pink, orange and green. In the US, they always say to me that the colors of my works are so vibrant and powerful, and how different they were! But in my mind, these color schemes are common and everyday things in the Philippines. Coming back, I realized that I have not lost my touch and am still on the right track. The rich colors and patterns are everywhere. Wow! I am really a Filipina. Ito ang roots ko.”

“To the majority of Filipinos, which was most evident when we rode around Cebu, colors come first,” Ledres continued. “Filipinos, wherever they are, think and feel the same way. We want color in our lives; it is important to us. I think the tropical colors and our climate make us instinctively admire anything and everything with colors.”

Expressions

Of her artworks, she said: “They are characterized by my color choices. In my creative process, the first things that come to my mind are the colors, not the composition and shapes. And then, everything flows and follows.”

“My style is bold, maximalist, layered, vibrant and a little more abstracted,” added Ledres. “The work does not lean much on realism.”

“It is pink, specifically fuchsia,” Ledres declared as her favorite color. “It is really bold and strong but feminine at the same time. It evokes a sense of balance. It is a color you cannot miss. It’s confident just to be its own color. It never comes off as too strong and never craves or screams for attention. There is something about pink that grounds and calms. That is how I read pink.”

Tagalikha

Another undertaking of Ledres in New York City is Tagalikha. She said: “It is a Filipino-American creative collective that I co-founded with Jazz’s cousin. When we started it eight years ago, there were just a handful of Filipinos working as creatives or part of the creative industry. We started with vlogs first, then it evolved into in-person networking events, panels, merchandise and other ways for creatives to feel less alone in the city.”

She carried on: “Once we found each other, it was like, oh, you are a fashion designer, a musician, a visual artist and more. Contacts were exchanged. Opportunities manifested and became real. Friendships were forged, and the Tagalikha community not only thrives but continues. Every summer, we have a project called Salo-Salo, which is an experiential event, a gathering of friends and family bonded together by love, commitment and passion for the arts.”

Celebrated works

Some of Ledres’ most celebrated works include See the Music All Around Us, a large-scale, three-window public installation commissioned by the City of Las Vegas. Featuring layered woodcuts, vibrant paint colors and strategic lighting that transformed it between day and night, it captured abstract figures in motion, paying homage to the communal joy of music, dance, family and festival gatherings. Another notable collection is In the Quiet Moments, which focused on stillness, vulnerability and honest self-expression. Furthermore, during the City of Henderson Art Festival, Ledres’ growing significance in the Nevada art scene was solidified when she was named the featured artist of the event.

Grateful

“Every time somebody stops, pauses, and connects with my artworks, I feel grateful,” Ledres said. “When they say that it affected them or made them ponder — with some who even approached me, telling me that it made them cry or feel happy, and that it was instrumental to their healing — I don’t know how to put into words how I feel knowing that kind of truth. I must be doing something good in my life, I guess.”

Offering advice to dreamers and the youth, Ledres said: “Keep on drawing. Express your feelings and thoughts through your drawing. Remember, your art is all about you. Let it speak for you, and always put your heart and love into what you create.”