Louisian Arki: A self-made artist

@JONATHAN SANGDAAN JR.

Mr. Jerico A. Turo is a 20-year old junior student who is taking Bachelor of Science in Architecture.

He is a self-taught artist who never enrolled in tutorials and classes.

“It’s purely based on observations and maximizing what I had since I did not have any art materials back then. I started doing and exploring dry mediums using pencil and paper,” he shared.

Despite being a self-taught artist, he still persevered and USL enhanced his artistic ability.

“USL is a platform of excellence, but it is not only bound to that. It also provides different organizations to nurture aspiring artists of USL.”

He shared that the quality education that professors have been giving is very high that he considers them advisers because of their way of critiquing their masterpieces. He shared that his professors are straightforward; the professors will say that their art is not good if it is not really good. Despite those critiques, he accepted them with an open heart, which made him top different visual arts competitions.

Since the pandemic, they were not able to paint again in the University, that is why he is looking forward to doing mural paintings during foundation days. Through this, Louisian artists across levels have bonded together.

This year, Turo has been doing a good job in different visual arts contests as he represented USL in different contests. Here are some of his masterpieces.

The End of Menace Acrylic on Canvas 30” × 24”

CACWA 2022

Turo’s “The End of Menace” was among the five equal winners in the Creative Competition during the Cagayan Art and Creative Writing Awards (CACWA) 2022.

In an interview with Turo, he said, “This painting, The End of Menace, aims to raise awareness that women are subjects of love and not a subject to sexual harassment.”

“Based on my actual observation, nowadays, women limit themselves in society. They are adjusting especially to their physical attributes, which is against the rules, in an effort to get the respect of men. Through my Art, I want them to absorb the message that women have freedom. Only the minds of men limit them,” he added.

Turo painted his piece for 14 hours since he still had to submit tasks in his major subject.

Inspite of the limited time, he still managed to be one of the winners.

“The original deadline for the CACWA competition was on June 10, 2022, which conflicts with my schedule in accomplishing our tasks in our major subject, in which I decided not to join the contest. However, on June 10, they had moved the deadline to June 15, 2022, but I received the notice on the night of June 13, 2022. Fortunately, I finished my entry on time in just 14 hours of work,” he said.

CACWA is part of the celebration of the 439th Aggao Nac

Cagayan. Creative Art was part of the Provincial Government of Cagayan’s program to promote its local pride with its rich cultural heritage and the artistic talents of its constituents. This visual art competition was organized to discover the artistic skills of its residents and further enhance them.

Pantalya

Acrylic on Canvas

3 x 4 ft

Agraniag festival of Alcala, Cagayan

Turo also painted his own masterpiece named Pantalya, which was dedicated for himself.

Pantalya is a profound word that means lamp. He characterized the lamp as something that is covered but has a light inside it.

“The light is not visible, just like when you look at a person. Sometimes, people tend to judge a person through his outer appearance. Maybe that person is just shy to showcase what he is capable of,” he added.

Since his masterpiece depicts himself, he shared that when he was young, he was not into arts because of lack of exposure. However, when he was in Junior High School, Ms. Mila Parallag, a retired teacher of USL, allowed him to join the Art industry by joining different visual arts contests. This turnabout kicked off his dexterity in visual arts.

Blanketing a Private Court

Acrylic

9 x 12 meters

Private Basketball Court side from his achievements in contests, Mr. Turo is also doing commissions while studying. He, together with Bryan Jhay Tagacay, BS Architecture 3, and James Perlas, BS Architecture 2, turned a plain basketball court into a floor mural of Stephen Curry, the NBA 2022 Finals MVP and the American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors.

They spent approximately 40 to 45 hours of work for five long nights to finish the painting. They used acrylic paints for concrete surfaces that are best, durable, weather-resistant, and visible in varying lights.

The court is owned by Mrs. Perlie Joy Tamboa, USL instructor, and Atty. Erick Paul Tamboa.

Despite being busy with school works, Turo still finds time for him to do commissions since he is sustaining his academic needs. Not all his wants and needs were gotten from his parents’ money. He is earning money and at the same time enjoying his craft.

All these things were made possible because his family and friends who supported and motivated him.

He ended by inspiring budding artists not to compare themselves to others, especially to experts. Instead, they should treat them as their inspiration. Since he believes that every expert was once a beginner.

“Take your failures as your inspiration to do better,” Turo ended.

Truly, he is a living testimony that talent is nothing more than a pursued interest.

USLWB