Visual Artist
Ja B
“Ja B”, was born in the Mountain Province. In the present day, he is a resident of Tam-awan Artist Village as part of their talents. He is a superb visual artist in the field of pen, ink and painting. His paintings and drawings mostly reflect on the tradition of tattoo art as it is his aim to revive the culture of it and let his audience know the exquisiteness of the filipino through his art.
Ja started his journey as an artist as long as he remembers but a definite fact is that he taught himself to paint and draw such remarkable feats of artistry. He experimented with various techniques and art styles in order for him to attain his own methods and signature approach in art throughout his career.
The materials Ja mostly acquires from the local hardware and art stores are several colors of acrylic paint, primed canvas, wooden timber and board for frame, paper, pen and scalpel wire. The tools that he uses are paint brushes, hammer, gun tacker and a painting palette.
Ja’s Works
Ja has an original and traditional yet unorthodox procedure in making his art from start to finish. He blatantly stated that a lot of rest and a great intake of caffeine is part of the creative conceptualization. He sometimes uses patterns in forms of concept sketches. The first step to making his art is to make a canvas. He starts off by measuring, cutting and nailing wooden boards and timbers together into his desired size and shape for a frame. His next step is to stretch the canvas cloth onto the surface of the frame then securing it in with a gun tacker. After the excess canvas has been trimmed from the frame, Ja applies a primer solution to the canvas, letting it dry and cure for a substantial amount of time before being painted on. Once Ja is done painting, he lets it dry and he uses a protective coating that improves durability and provides a glossy look. For his pen and ink artworks, he also sprays a final coating to protect the drawn paper from smudges and moisture absorption. Perfection in art takes time to accomplish, thus for Ja, he finishes an artwork depending on his consistency, pacing and efficient time management.
As I observe Ja’s paintings, he incorporates a style which he is fond of, a monochromatic ambiance and elegant beauty in his characters within his works. With said characters, most of them are painted with cultural tattoos. These meaningful details provide an homage to his heritage and the cultural art that he continuously and proudly represents. His signature style is what makes him different from the rest of the artists. Although, the similarities that he shares with other painters is the constant mastery of painting and brush techniques. In the field of pen and inked illustrations, he is mostly proficient in line work and pointillism.
The originality of an artwork is what makes it beautiful in Ja’s opinion but he’s aware about his art style and pays no heed to what others think about their perception on what makes an artwork pleasing. He hasn’t taught others about painting but he shares his knowledge of his culture through another artform which is their traditional dance. It’s his other way to keep his culture alive in the minds of the people. He may not teach other artists about his art but he helps guide them in their careers.
Representing his culture through his art is what makes it important to him. He enjoys the process of how his paintings are a depiction of a traditional and creative showcase to his audience. He participated in multiple art exhibits and events within and outside the region sharing his knowledge to other enthusiasts around the country, but mostly, people can witness his artistry at Tam-awan Village, Baguio City. When asked if he dislikes something about what he does, he facetiously replied “sometimes”. He may be a man of few words yet a humble person in his own way, let his art speak for him. His legacy as an artist is a living testament for their culture through future generations.
information
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Ja B Artizt
Location:
Tam-awan Village, Baguio City