Muralist
Ane Janelle Muena
Ane was born in Baguio City in 1993. She is a visual artist who specializes not only in digital illustrations and in traditional methods of painting and sketching but she also creates resin art. In traditional art forms such as creating cultural themed paintings, she imparts her knowledge to the common folk who are not aware of the local culture. This has been a sense of a calling for Ane as her skills are a natural talent that provides her not just a form of healing for herself but also a career in which she shares her cultural and artistic knowledge.
Anne’s Works
Ane first started at the age of five doodling on paper. She participated in visual art programs during her high school days. In college, she enrolled in Saint Louis University, Baguio City and acquired a degree in architecture where her mentors taught her aesthetic and structural principles. She always had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge as she still covet creative information. With the access of the internet and online tutorials, she expands her understanding in creating art. She continues to grow her prowess by having an open mind, learning new artforms and techniques for the past two decades.
As a digital artist, she utilizes a digital pen and a drawing tablet plugged into her own personal computer with applications such as Photoshop and Krita to illustrate. As a traditional artist, she mostly uses acrylic paints, watercolor and graphite pencils. Lastly with her resin art, she uses dried flowers and a preservative solution. Most of her materials are purchased online but some she buys from local art shops within Baguio. Some of her previous works have patterns inspired by cordillera weaving while most of her resin works are designed depending on a client’s request.
Ane’s resin art requires flowers from flower bouquets. She dries the flowers and fillers with desiccants. It takes two to three weeks to dry a flower depending on its type. While drying the flower, she prepares the mold and resin formula. She places the dried flower within the mold before pouring the resin. The curing process depends on the type of resin used. Epoxy resin which consists of resin and hardener takes up to a day to three days before pouring the next layer. Once the resin inside the mold is dry, she removes the cured resin from the mold then proceeds to polishing it, giving it a smooth and clean appearance. Her resin art takes three to four weeks to finish. Although Ane shares many similarities with other resin artists, she revamps her style according to the requirements given by the client in order to provide a personalized product.
For her traditional art method as an illustrator, Ane goes towards an “anime” or “manga’ style infused with eastern traditions and architectural concepts. She is keen on maintaining her specific approach in her illustrations as it is easily identified as her own signature style while being dedicated to a theme. It takes one to two weeks for her to finish a traditional painted or illustrated artwork. It is important for Ane to continue making her art as it provides her mental stability and a “breathing space”. She is mostly fond of juggling projects in order to avoid the strain from a repetitive process of a single project.
Resin art demands less errors and an extensive attention to detail and its process. When the outcome doesn’t turn out to be as planned, especially for her resin art, she needs to start over from the beginning of the process. Error can cost her a financial burden due to the expensive cost of materials. Even if there are mistakes, it will always be an opportunity for her to improve.
Aside from being an artist, Ane also work as a part time art tutor. She also conducts private or community art workshops. The significance of teaching art is to help the creative growth of the youth and preserve the traditional method of artistry.
Artworks that are done meticulously and clean in the details are the type of artworks that she appreciates. The amount of time to create such artworks is also a factor on what makes art beautiful for Ane’s perception. Being an artist demands being adaptable and versatile in order to broaden an artist’s creative horizons. Ane will continue to improve and share her talent and knowledge with everyone. Her unrelenting journey through the world of art will always be a part of her artist identity.