BY CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
Negrense visual artist Edbon Sevilleno opened his one-man exhibit at the Art Cove of Park Inn by Radisson Bacolod Thursday which will run until February 28, 2023.
Guests of honor at the opening of the show titled “Shapes, Shades & Scapes” were Eduardo Ledesma and Ligaya Lizares, wife of Edgardo “Budot” Lizares, founder of the Art Association of Bacolod (AAB).
Park Inn front desk manager Archie Javellana said this is the third art exhibit hosted by the hotel which coincided with their first year anniversary and the ceremonial Christmas tree lighting.
“These masterpieces are indeed a feast for the eyes… What we have here is the kind of art that reveals the limits of our understanding, the one that lets you abandon superficial perspective,” Javellana added.
Sevilleno’s abstract paintings are characterized by a rhythmic arrangement of abstract geometric forms, transparent overlays and versatile colorations. He develops harmony, depth and balance, much like a perfectly arranged musical composition.
Spontaneity of strokes is evident in his works, as what the artist calls “mind scape”, where energy flows, a nutrient to the soul, temperaments and moods/
Sevilleno started painting abstracts when he joined AAB during the early 80s. Though his discipline leans more toward being an illustrator, he has a passion for non-figurative art, mentored by the late Budot Lizares.
Prior to the establishment of the AAB, Lizares had brought prominent modernist artists from Manila such as Jose Joya (National Artist), Justine Nuyda, Raul Isidro, and Solomon Saprid, to encourage and inspire Bacolod artists.
Sevilleno was one of those who was influenced by these artists aside from Bacolod artists like Larry Tronco, Rodney Martinez, and Rafael Paderna, all founding members of AAB. He studied Fine Arts at La Consolacion College-Bacolod School of Architecture, Fine Arts and Interior Design. He was also the president of the Arfien Club for two years while in college and is still an active member of the Arfien alumni organization.
Sevilleno has mounted three consecutive abstract art exhibitions entitled “Unframed” at the LCC Gallery in 1994, “Bits & Pieces” in 1996, and “Square Caves” in 1999 at the ABB Gallery Bay Center. He still continues to paint abstracts until now and his works are part of collections of abstract-lovers and collectors from the Philippines and elsewhere in the world.
He enriches himself through travel and has been painting around the United States, Eastern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. He enjoys painting in open spaces, parks, markets, and painting the people in these places.
He has done countless exhibits locally and abroad and has won second prize in the GSIS National Watercolor Competition in 2019. He also received the La Consolacion College Bacolod – Centennial Legacy Awards, for Excellence in Culture and the Arts. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Art Association of Bacolod.*