Point Counterpoint

Art Lounge Manila presents Perfecto Palero, Stella Schapero and Jo Uygongco. Three distinct styles of manipulating paint, one purpose: raising funds for ICM’s Planting Seeds of Hope for VisMin’s poorest.

Stella and Jo proposed the exhibit to Susanne Tiausas of Art Lounge Manila and to Carla J. Teotico and Nico Teotico of Galerie Joaquin, friends who have supported ICM’s work for many years. A generous portion of sales will be donated to ICM for its Planting Seeds of Hope work. During this pandemic, ICM has delivered meals to 3+ million and distributed 350,000 gardening kits (130+ million seeds) to help millions help themselves. Eileen Bondoc-Escueta curated.

PALERO’s ethereal landscape paintings capture a fascination with nature’s subtle color changes. Palero was a 2010 Metrobank Arts and Design Excellence (MADE) semi-finalist. Since his first solo exhibit at the Philippine Heart Center in 2014, he has had numerous solo exhibits including “Bejeweled Landscapes” at Galerie Joaquin in June 2019. Many of his works are showcased at BGC’s Best Western Premier F1 Hotel.

STELLA’s mixed media assemblages balance antique and craft found objects to evoke 19th/early 20th c. colors and textures. Her signature 20x20in works are inspired by square brooches designed by Austrian architect and Weiner Werkstätte co-founder, Josef Hoffman (1870-1956), a recurring inspiration since she first saw one at the Neue Galerie in New York in 2008. She manipulates paint to create faux semi-precious stone on canvas. Stella had a solo exhibit in Manila (2009) and regularly joined Pintura Circle group art shows in HK.

JO’s marbling technique allows slowly coagulating pigments to merge lava-like, to create colorful abstracts. In recent years, Jo has ventured into more intuitive art, choosing less control and allowing natural flows. Jo has had paintings juried in into: Fabriano in Aquarello 2018 and 2019 in Italy; six IWS biennale exhibits (HK, Albania, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Nepal); and the IWS-Philippines Watercolor Convention and Exhibit in 2017 and 2018 in GSIS Museo ng Sining. Jo actively joins group art shows and conducts Intuitive Art workshops.