MANILA, Philippines?The rare sight, in an urban setting, of water lilies floating gently on a bright blue pond, mirroring the reflection of verdant shrubs, lush foliage and towering trees is perfectly captured in one frame.

In another frame, an otherwise forlorn looking dirt road is brightened by a clump of fire trees, its red blooms caught in all its glory by sunlight streaming in from the sky.

But even such picture-perfect scenes are in danger of disappearing because of man?s neglect and callousness, said the artists who captured the beautiful landscapes with their deft brush strokes.

?We often take our surroundings and nature for granted. We are not very good stewards, that is why things like floods brought about by Tropical Storm ?Ondoy? happen to us without warning,? said artist Romy Carlos.

At least 105 paintings of nature and other similar landscapes painted by 53 artists are currently on display at the Gateway Mall, in yet another exhibit of the University of the Philippines Centennial Artists.

The show, sponsored by the UP Alumni Association, is aptly called ?Kalikasan? (Nature), launched just a few days before Ondoy hit the country on Sept. 26.

Featured in the exhibit are various depictions of nature?s bounty, mostly bodies of water like lakes, rivers, and water falling down on mountainsides and slopes.

?I think we have a natural affinity with water; after all, our body is mostly made up of water, too,? said Carlos, organizer of the event.

?Nature gives us sustenance?material and inspiration as well. But we don?t take care of it. Hopefully, those who don?t pay attention to the warning signs but who have a chance to see our exhibit, will change their minds,? he added.

One Carlos painting on display, ?Cerulean Pond,? depicts a sight familiar to UP students: The UP Lagoon, made more colorful with its giant water lilies.

?I wanted to show the essence of the UP Lagoon of my days, when there were no cemented paths or concrete stage. Just nature in the middle of the campus,? he said.

Another painting, ?Makiling,? shows the greenery in one portion of the legendary Mt. Makiling in Laguna province, captured during an on-the-spot painting session.

?What I wanted for that particular work was to create an awareness about the precarious state of Mt. Makiling,? Carlos explained.

Tessie Duldulao, another artist whose works are also on exhibit, agreed with Carlos on the importance of caring for nature, especially with the changing times.

Two of her works, ?Fire Tree? and ?Oasis,? were also painted with Mt. Makiling in mind.

?Fire Tree,? for instance, shows a dirt road leading up to the mountain, with green trees and shrubs lining up the scenery?and of course, the fire tree?s red blooms lending color to the scene.

?When I did that painting, there were no fire trees in bloom yet. I decided to add this detail?call it artistic license?so it would come out prettier,? she said.

?Oasis,? on the other hand, shows a clear blue pond surrounded by trees standing like sentinels. Duldulao admitted to having changed the pond?s color to blue instead of its original color, a hazy brown.

She also deplored the seeming lack of understanding of many Filipinos regarding the consequences of their actions, especially its effects on the environment.

Duldulao recalled a conversation years back with fishermen in Sual, Pangasinan province, who had resorted to dynamite fishing, despite her appeals to stop the practice.

Much later, the fishermen complained to Duldulao, who had a house in the area, that they were no longer able to catch fish for their daily needs.

?I told them that was the reason why they had to stop dynamite fishing, because sooner or later their children won?t be able to catch fish,? she said. ?You know what they told me? ?Problema na nila yun (That?s their problem).? It?s so hard to talk to them,? Duldulao added.

For Benjie Cabangis, also a exhibit participant and a faculty member of the UP College of Fine Arts, said landscapes do not need to be done in a realistic manner but can be also painted as abstract art.

His two contributions??Orange Landscape I? and ?Orange Landscape II??used bright hues of green overpowered by an orange sky.

?It could be interpreted as a sunrise, or a sunset on a mountain terrain. Or even the brightness of it can suggest global warming, the intensity of the heat,? he explained.

Such landscapes, Cabangis said, are now in danger of being gone forever because of man?s insensitivity towards the environment.

?It is sights like these that hopefully would convince people to be more aware of what they are doing to the environment, and to make them more conscious to preserve it,? he said. ?Otherwise, future generations won?t be able to enjoy their beauty.?

The ?Kalikasan? exhibit, sponsored by the UP Alumni Association and the UP Centennial Artists, can be viewed at the third floor exhibit hall of Gateway Mall in Cubao, Quezon City. It runs until Oct. 31.