CARNIVALE

Masskara all throughout the years never fails to give the people of Bacolod local and foreign visitors something to celebrate and be merry about. For twenty days, the city does not cease to bring feast through beer drinking, dining and dancing. The term Masskara comes from 2 Spanish words “mass” and “cara” which means crowd and face respectively. Thus, Masskara simply means masks of many or many faces.

And Brush Strokes celebrates with its beloved city to show the happy spirit of us Negrenses despite the bad times, not only, in the sugar industry, but also with all the challenges that life brings us.

Carnivale, the masks of the world showcases not only the beaming, be-dimpled , smiling and laughing faces of Masks we see every October, but at the same time, brings Venice and all the other places in this world, within our souls and without, that celebrate the beauty, the art and the mysticism of the mask. Brush Strokes encourages all of you to put your mask on.

And because Brush Strokes’ goal is to spread art and advocacy, we believe it is just right to welcome more artists into our family. And they are Marc Lavarro, Nina Benitez, Amira Aldiri and Aikawa Eri.

Brush Strokes would like to thank SM Mall, KFC SM Bacolod, Burloloy, Negros Daily Bulletin, John John Ditching, Mayor Ernesto of Himamaylan and Mr. Joey Benin for making our event a success!

Nights in Marrakech

The Chugani Family

Mr. Ajit and Juhi Gidwani

Marq Herrera's KALI-MA

Namaste!

Nights in Marrakech is the third group exhibit to date by the Brush Strokes, a group of painters doing thematic exhibits. Brush Strokes members Marq Herrera, Cynthia Vera Faren, Leee Caesar Atas, JM Esteban, Francis Zamora, Joanne Ferraris Gancita and Chris Marie Dumasis thought of such a concept to share the richness of the trade and the beauty of the harem in this city of ours.

Marrakech is known as the red City, the most important former imperial city in Morocco’s history. This city has the largest traditional market and is the busiest squares in the world: Charming us with its acrobats, storytellers, dancers and musicians. And Brush Strokes together with SM Mall Bacolod brought Morocco right at the heart of the Event Center to celebrate with the crowd the magic, the allure and the culture that only the sands and the sun of Marrakech can bring. Brush Strokes official curator Marq Herrera once again transformed the event center into something filled with curtains with an Alhambra backdrop ….taking us into the world where magic carpets, genies and Moroccan love are real and alive.

And in Bacolod, the closest thing what could ever compare to the richness, the appeal and the enchantment of Morocco is the Indian community who has been in the city of Bacolod for almost 70 years now. When our Indian brothers and sisters left their country in search for greener pastures, that dream did not fail them. For now they are very active in the fields of retail outlets, wholesale business, food business and call centers. Not to mention the fact that they are an active community doing social works like having a Day Care Center for the unprivileged children of Bacolod. That’s why last September 5, 2011, SM Mall Bacolod and Brush Strokes give tribute to the Indian community as a way of saying "Bahut Bahut Shukria" (means many many thanks).

By doing this exhibit, Brush Strokes builds the gap, the differences in the culture and the traditions of the Moslems and the Indians. After all, we are all one and that it is only through art, that we can always and forever be comrades.

The programme started with an Ave Maria prayer and it was followed by a belly dancing performance by Rianna Chugani. The VIPs were lead by Sony Golez, the president of the Art Association of Bacolod, by one of the most distinguished female artists Moreen Austria, by the beautiful Juhi Gidwani, a La Salle psychology student who has the dream of putting up a foundation for the underprivileged kids and last but not the least, the owner of Nim Collection, Mr. Harish Chugani. The event was also graced by the presence of the President of the AFINO or of the Association of Filipino-Indian in Negros Occidental (whose goal is to create better and deeper affinity with Filipinos), Mr. Ajit Gidwani and his other Indian friends. The programme ended with a very adorable Indian choreography dance, "I hate lovesong" which was participated again by Rianna and his brother Ishan Chugani.

Brush Strokes is indeed very lucky to have met business partners , both old and new who continue to help us achieve our goal which is to create positivity, beauty and advocacy through Art. SM Bacolod, Our Home, Nim Collection, AFINO, Negros Daily Bulletin, and of course our families and friends who are always there giving us more motivation to create more beautiful things together.

JM Esteban's The Dancer Awaits

Chris Dumasis' The Flight of Maya

Francis Zamora's Turquoise Beauty

Leee Caesar Atas' Mystic Dream

Cynthia Vera-Faren's Sands of Time

Born This Way

Nowadays, people love to fight for their right to be different. We all want to stand out, be unique and more importantly, be loved, accepted and respected for who we are. And that is the very reason why Brush Strokes, (an art group led by Marq Herrera with JM Esteban, Leee Caesar Atas, Cynthia Vera-Faren, Joanne Gancita, Francis Zamora and Chris Marie Dumasis), which does thematic exhibits, thought of such a concept.

Not to mention the fact that Lady Gaga gave us again the power to empower ourselves, to be proud of our totality as well as of our imperfections being human. From the odd ones to the gays and lesbians, people with disabilities and all the misfits of the world, Brush Strokes partnered with SM Mall Bacolod to reach out to those who want to belong that they are not alone. And that through art, Brush Strokes fights with you from here on to the very end.

Last August 22, 2011, SM Event Center became not only a venue for an art exhibit but became a place of advocacy and purpose. Brush Strokes’ Creator and Curator Marq Herrera transformed the area of entertainment into something fun, festive and fresh by using metallic balloons of magenta gold and silver from GiggleBugs as decors. The balloon popping ceremony was led by Miss Lovelyn dela Cruz, first lady of Don Salvador Benedicto, Mr. Rafael “Paeng” Paderna, Bacolod Art Scene’s veteran and formidable artist and by Bascon cafe’s charming owner Ms. Marili Bascon-Gonzaga.

The program was a delight due to the performance of the Maskara Theater Ensemble of the University of St. La Salle’s Born this Way ala Glee Presentation and of the powerful voices of Tanya Diamante and Geraldine Fantilaga that really captured the attention of the crowd. The host of the event was Kriss Jan Dumasis.

Brush Strokes would like to thank the following: BHTV Channel, GMA Bacolod, Rosco Martin Cofreros, Charlene Mae Tupas, Alyssa Louise Lozanes, Jerome Corugda and Neil Patrick Begasa. Thank you to all our families and friends who graced our event and made Born This Way truly an event to remember.

Brush Strokes exhibit is at SM East Bridgeway until August 31, 2011.

Stand Up & Stand Out

Brush Strokes dares you!

Make a stand with us as we fight for our right to be different - only we do it with style! Embrace who you really are! Be brave and celebrate with us on August 22, 2011 at the SM Event Center at 6pm.

Don't be a drag! Just be a Queen! <3

Featured Artist: CHRIS DUMASIS

Another artist with the penchant for anything that glimmers and glitters is Chris. Started painting publicly using mixed media as her medium. This outrageous artist and quirky writer loves to create artworks that reflect her being a "free spirit".

The Badb in Astarte

The Eyes of Hera

Carrie Constellation

Chris loves anything feminine and Goddesses....she fancies! And she makes it a goal to paint all sacred feminine her subconscious mind could ever think of and imagine.

The Kore in Hekate

The Divine Shamanka

Gaga Girl

Athena: Dance of the Gypsy

The veiled one

LUST

The Feathers of Xochiquetzal

The Great Isis

This sanguine individual hopes to evoke a sense of hope to re-live magic back in our daily mundane lives again. And because painting gave her a second wind that she needed, she wishes nothing less than to inspire others through art as well.

reyna delos angeles

reyna dela estrella

reyna dela luna

Chris is Brush Strokes official writer. Here's to femininity, love and purpose! <3