Rock dreams, Pinoy edition: Artist depicts OPM icons on canvas
By day, Oliver Marquez earns his living as a sign painter.
But after hours, he turns his rock star fantasies into reality—well, on canvas at least.
Some 28 of his paintings depicting his take on OPM’s iconic stars are now on display at Art Circle Gallery, located on the fourth floor of the Shangri-la Plaza Mall on EDSA in Mandaluyong.
No sketching required
The exhibit, ongoing until June 23, is called “Tuntunin ng Musika: A Tribute to the Musical Greats.”
Marquez shows the likes of Eraserheads, Rico Blanco, Joey Smith and Francis M in the milieu they’re known for—Francis M with a ghetto blaster, Eheads performing on a bed of “alapaap” and so on.
“Mas kilala, mas madali kong nagagawa yung painting,” Marquez told Yahoo. He doesn’t sketch but paints directly on the canvas, a process that takes from 2 to 3 days only.
Tawa ng tawa
Two of the OPM stalwarts he depicts in his paintings were on hand to play at the opening of his exhibit on June 12.
Folk legend Heber Bartolome, a painter himself who went on to perform during the opening, was amused by Marquez’s painting.
“Tawa siya ng tawa.” Marquez recalled, “kasi naktia niya papano mag-rock & roll sa painting.”
A word from Ely Buendia
Ely Buendia himself played during the opening with his other other band The Oktaves.
“Good job,” Buendia told Marquez after the on-again, off-again Eraserhead checked out Marquez’s work.
Marquez himself was once a musician in the 90s, playing for five years in a band called Dracks, which covered the songs of the artists he now paints like Eraserheads and Rivermaya.
Day job
So why’d he give up music?
“Na-in love ako,” the 40-year-old artist said. He eventually married Evangeline Agustin and sired 4 kids, the eldest of whom is now 14.
Marquez went on to put up a sign painting business to support his family.
Family of artists
He continued to paint on commission, however, supplying thematic canvases to commercial galleries in the tourist tiangge Pistang Pilipino in Malate.
Marquez, who hails from Angeles, Pampanga, comes from a family of artists: his father was a painter, his grandfather a sculptor, and uncles from his mother’s side were painters, too.
They actually painted on velvet, doing lucrative business on subjects like landscapes, sunsets and wildlife that proved extremely popular with American servicemen stationed in the former US base in Pampanga.
Leveling up
So what’s next for Marquez?
Based on what he says was a sold-out show and with canvases going from P35,000 to P120,000 a pop, he plans on doing more of the same.
“Le-level up ako,” he said of his future art. “Mga batang banda ang next kong gagawin.”
“Tuntunin ng Musika: A Tribute to the Musical Greats” by Oliver Marquez is ongoing until June 23, 2014 at the Art Circle Gallery, 4th Level, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City. Visit their Facebook and website for more details.
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