Taking a break from writing about socialites and movers and shakers of society, I have chosen to feature a young man who I believe will make a big name in Philippine art, simply because he paints differently and produces works that appeal to people who want their paintings to be beautiful and flowing.
Although based in Lucena City, where he quietly paints about his daily musings and feelings, Joel Reglos is a name to watch for in the art circles, with his remarkable abstract paintings among those lapped up in group exhibits at the Altro Mondo and Imahika galleries in Metro Manila.
“Ever since I was in kindergarten, my passion has always been drawing,” said Joel, whom I interviewed via Zoom recently.
He started drawing during his elementary days.
“I would do a lot of anime figures. I would also join poster making contests,” Joel shared.
In college, he started drawing body figures. “I began to do portraits,” he said. “That was when I started sketching.”
Although he was taking up an Information Technology course, his heart remained in painting. It was quite a surprise to his friends and relatives that he would be interested in arts when no one in his family was an artist.
“I persevered and studied on my own,” he said. “I started with landscapes, and drew mountains and fields with clouds and the sun.”
By the time he was in college, he became acquainted with the works of Filipino masters which he only saw and read about in magazines and newspapers, and watched on television as guests in talk shows.
It was after college that he decided to pursue his art as a profession, although he also worked as a draftsman and a designer.
Beyond the hope for a lucrative career, though, which he realizes requires a lot of patience and perseverance, he is enthused by “the freedom to express myself especially through the abstract style that I am fond of,” he said.
An artist whose feet are firmly planted on the ground, he takes inspiration “from my day-to-day life experiences.”
“My works are all about myself, what makes me happy or sad, inspired or disappointed. They reflect my moods, my dreams, and my hopes. I achieve this through color, shapes, and lines. I am more at home with nonrepresentational paintings. They emanate from my memories and my experiences,” said Joel.
He counts Jose Joya, Bencab, and Arturo Luz among his idols.
“I like it that they have their individual signature styles, and that has inspired me to work on my own style. I am fascinated by the way artists produce works that are different from one another,” Joel said.
He added: “It is important to be different because it is the only way one can be recognized. It would please me to know that people recognize my works because they are distinctly mine and are reflective of the person and artist that I am. I want people to have a look at an art work and immediately be able to tell that it is by Joel Reglos.”
Joel has yet to have his first one-man exhibit. As a freelance artist — and not belonging to any stable managed by galleries — he feels that he has more leeway “to explore my capabilities and take a direction that is compatible with my personality and my beliefs,” he said.
Besides, without any pressure to produce to beat a deadline, he has more time to “educate myself by reading art books and visiting museums.”
At the same time, his earnings have allowed him to work on his favorite medium, acrylic.
“One has to invest in one’s art,” he pointed out. And this includes the time which he devotes to creating. “I work depending on my mood. I enjoy working at night because that is when my creative juices flow. It usually takes three days for me to finish a painting although that really depends on my mood.”
I asked him which of his paintings is his favorite. He replied: “I am content with all my works and are proud of them as well. Although there are some that I consider my favorites.”
Overall, Joel’s works are unique and that makes them stand out.
“The kind of art that I want is one which is the result of serious work,” he stated. “Not one produced by lazy hands. Each art work comes with a story, whether about the painting or its subject, or how it has been brought into this world.”
As he looks forward to the future, Joel dreams of “making a name for myself so that my work would become well known, as well. I want to produce to the best of my ability because my relationship with my art is lifetime. Painting is what I want to do for the rest of my life,” he said.