All for Art's Sake

A lot of my peers had wondered, why I took up a job in Saudi Arabia? For some, this place I'm heading to is not a place for a struggling artist considering the cultural restrictions. Career wise it's a BIG Q? Before I came here, I just did what I do best ...be a painter, I did illustrations for children's books and had a cartoon strip running everyday in a tabloid ( MASA - then sister publication of MALAYA). It seems okay na sana, but there comes a time when you felt you needed more resources to enhance what you have all been doing. Back in those days mahirap makabili ng gamit na quality para sa pag pinta. I saw other painters using Latex tinting colours, it's sad but they need to keep on painting to survive. Framing your works is another problem. How about getting it to the galleries for exhibition? Talagang 'd biro. Congrat's na lng sa mga survivors, but there are few. One day ,by chance,I read this ad wanting a graphic artist sa Riyadh. To make a long story short, I was hired. I will tell you later the story behind it, it's entirely a different one. To straighten things for my critics specially those that estimated my move of going here in Saudi... kisyu baduy daw ang pag saudi... well... TO HELL WITH YOU !!! I have proven myself that all of your saudi bashing was wrong now. Honestly...that makes me feel good.

Sorry for that, sometimes we have to be rude to be effective and heard. I just want to straighten things outright. They thought I gave up my art, went to saudi para maging tea boy. Hoy! Nasa McCann Erickson kami dito! I love what I'm doing and I am paid more than enough to have four wives. But the real reason why I came here... is to carry on with my art and enhance it. Along with that, of course, to settle a decent life , be a good provider to my family and not be a mere struggling artist anymore. All I can say now is that I can buy any art material I want even my own frame tools and I also can afford to mount exhibits with any 5 stars hotels. Isn't that nice?