BAGUIO CITY – Two artists separated more than 8,200 miles are bringing smiles to indigent indigenous people and front line health care workers.
For 61-year-old architect Fredi Agunoy, it is the indigent Dumagat indigenous peoples of Dingalan, Aurora as his beneficiaries in his watercolor, pen, and ink on paper works that are sold online.
In Detroit, Michigan, former Baguio journalist turned children’s literature writer, turned painter Anna Carbonell, does stone artworks which she gives for free to 10 health workers in a hospital at the former capital of the United States.
She has help from a 10-year-old daughter, Maria who paints side by side with her.
Agunoy satisfies himself with a daily grind of painting or sketching on his small one square meter spot at his residence in Quezon City.
“It is another start of the day and paint again I am in my one square meter spot,” wrote the founder of the Baguio-based Salonpas Group of Artists on his Facebook wall every morning.
Salonpas is an arts group composed of senior citizens that calls home his residence cum gallery in Baguio, Fred’s Apartment.
But if he has his way, he would rather be in a rustic coastal town further east with the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop.
“I wish I am on my farm, tending to my plants, crops, and fruits,” said the semi-retired architect who is more than happy to harvest his produce, go fishing, do afternoon strolls, and dips in the Pacific Ocean.
Agunoy has relinquished most of his work to his son Alfie, a University of Santo Tomas architecture school graduate, after a stroke some years back.
Now, he spends most of his time in Baguio with his artist-friends that include noted Ibaloy painter Roland Bay-an and Salvador Cabrera, Jr., nephew of national artist Benedicto Cabrera; Dingalan, Aurora with his other artists-friends; and, in Quezon City to spend time with his grandchildren and another circle of visual artists.
The more than 40 days of quarantine has seen him exploit watercolor painting and developed a new style where he merged his cartooning skills to his medium.
It was cartooning that sent him to school from high school to Araullo University’s architectural school in his hometown of Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija as a school organ staff member.
His works on nine-inch by 12-inch paper are sold at a minimum donation of PHP1,000 only.
This is “to support food rationing for our Dumagat community (in Dingalan, Aurora) this April,” said Agunoy of his daily output that he puts on his Facebook wall.
The physical works are now on display on the walls of his Quezon City residence; those sold will be delivered once the ECQ is lifted.
He said that his fellow artists in Dingalan, whom he organized to make an art community like the Tam-awan Village here in Baguio, are doing the hard work of distributing the food they gather thanks to their artworks which have been sold to patrons.
The Dingalan Artists Village had been set up within his farm where art festivals have been held in several and regular occasions –many are environmental in theme.
Agunoy said the next round of food distribution will come from income realized from the sale of a new batch of artworks that include six of his new artworks.
“I want another round (of food rationing) this May,” he said.
“Nasa anim pa lang, hindi ko ina-announce ang price (There are six [of my artworks that have been sold already for this round] although I have not announced the price [of each art work]),” he told the Philippine News Agency.
“I want them to like my [art work] more than the price. If they ask the price, I said that it is only for donation and not the regular cost of the work,” he added.
Meanwhile, Carbonell does paintings on stones with her daughter to bring smiles for health care workers from eight hospitals in Detroit and nearby villages.
“Great, the stone art, everyone loved it,” she told the PNA through social media message.
Carbonell may not be able to go to the hospitals but she sends her works through doctors who work at said hospitals who live within her neighborhood.
“It was very tough for me to send that art stones to the hospitals and clinics because of social distancing. But through God’s way, it did, and yes it had reached them and surely gave them a smile,” she wrote on her FB wall.
“The mission continues on spreading more smiles among health care workers. Thank you for all the services, stay safe (referring to the health care workers,” she added.
Among the hospitals where Cabonells's art stones found a new owner are Beaumont Hospital, Henry Ford Hospital, Providence Hospital, Sinai Grace Hospital, all in Detroit, Michigan.
Carbonell, a certified respiratory therapist, sent her first batch of art stones to the medical health workers on April 16.
Agunoy may not have met Carbonell but are Facebook friends where they express admiration for newly finished works they post on their respective FB walls. (PNA)
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