Helping Joe

Friends call him Cebu’s Van Gogh, owing to the expressive distortion, bold strokes and thick impasto of his paintings that evoke the work of the Dutch postimpressionist. And although, he comes from a prominent Spanish family here in Cebu, Joe Mari Picornell, an ex-pilot,   chose the austere life of  a full-time painter.

It’s a total descent from his old job as  an aviator to being an artist. Instead of  flying airplanes, he now moves around the city in his bicycle. A few years ago, when he was stronger, he could reach as far as Danao City to scout for scenes he could paint, indeed like that poor guy Vincent.

And with the same passion and courage, he would paint his subjects, mostly old buildings, big trees, street scenes, and ordinary folks he met in such electric haste, struggling to register in those strokes fleeting passion and impression.

Joe feels strongly about those aging buildings, rustic landscapes, and street life of old Cebu. Those are scenes of his youth now preserved in oil and turpentine. Looking at them, we are infected with the same mix of youthfulness and nostalgia in how the old structures are rendered with playfulness and daring. The result is unique vibrancy, kinetic energy and expressive power.

Those who still think that the goal of painting is to simply  look like a photograph tend to think that Joe’s work is a bit childish. There is a certain truth in that, for Joe paints with the same spontaneity and delight in the tactile textures and clashing colors as a  child. This adds to the raw character of his paintings, which are framed by the artist himself in unpainted wood.

His work thus offers a unique contribution to  painting in Cebu, which until today has remained largely confined to the academic tradition. Joe’s work shows that our desire to preserve  memories of the old city need not come in the form of realism. Photography can do that much better.

Joe himself did a lot of photographic documentation of contemporary life side by side with his painting during the film era. A completely analog guy, the artist does not own a cellphone or use a computer. Some of his photographs were published in  local newspapers and magazines.

But Joe’s health has not been good lately and his doctor recommends immediate surgery as his disease could be life threatening. The cost is too much for the artist who already had to spend so much for medication.

His artist-friends came to his aid recently as they organized an exhibit of their work and some of Joe’s own paintings. The exhibit was held at the Sacred Heart Parish Alternative Contemporary Art Studio through the initiative of Fr. Jason Dy, S.J., who is himself an artist.

Fifteen of Joe’s paintings and about the same number of works by his artist friends are on sale in the exhibit, which opened Friday night and will run in  the gallery for a week. Proceeds of the show will be given to Joe to help pay for his operation.

The show opened without the usual cocktails, program, and ribbon cutting. But there was lively banter among the artists, collectors, and Joe who came to thank his friends. The night closed with three works sold.

Aside from Joe’s paintings, the exhibit features works of Antonio Alcoseba, Darby Alcoseba, Arsenio Abella, John Dinglasa, Fr. Jason Dy, S.J., Guido Lubanga, Nomar Miano, Radel Paredes, Celso Pepito, Minette Ramo, Kaye Paler Rivera, and Sonia Yrastorza.

Most of them are selling their work at discounted prices hoping to increase sales for Joe’s fund. Some artists who were not able to turn in their work, promised to contribute before the exhibit ends. So the exhibit itself is a work in progress.

This is not the first time that artists have organized benefit shows for their fellow artists who were in need. They passed the hat or pooled artworks for emergency auctions or similar exhibits in the past to help a friend. But such activities are more frequent and better organized these days, which is a good sign that despite occasional and often healthy squabbling, the local art community has remained strong.

You can still visit the art gallery in Sacred Heart Parish and help Jo by buying his work or that of his friends. How you got to buy the artwork will surely add new meaning to it.