Louie Ignacio

Mother Nature’s Son

Nature nurtures Louie Ignacio’s craft

May 27, 2019 / C-3 

By Hannah Jo Uy 

In his earnest desire to represent nature and his deeply personal connection to it, Ignacio drew more than inspiration from his haven in Pagsanjan. He used the surrounding organic materials to breathe life into his

idea—embodying nature, through nature.

To create according to his heart’s desire—this is Louie Ignacio’s life phi­losophy. Indeed, creativity is so innate in him it is practically a com­pulsion. An exuberant embodiment of the multi-faceted potential of pure imagination, he has an infinite reser­voir of energy fueled by a lust for life and love of nature. 

For many, Ignacio is the iconic and prolific director known for crafting in­dependent movies that have won criti­cal acclaims from the most discerning international and national audienc­es. Beyond this public persona, howev­er, is a rich artistic identity that reveals itself through myriad other mediums. 

“Since I started making inde­pendent pictures such as Asinta­do, Laut, Childhaus, Area, and School Service, I felt drawn to making free and authentic films,” Ignacio says. “It’s the same thing with painting. I have the freedom to choose my sub­ject and style. No one dictates my works—it comes from my heart.” In many ways, he says, being a director is similar to being a painter, drawing parallels between his experience as a catalyst for moving pictures and of creating still ones. “I develop a beau­tiful story, until it becomes a beautiful film,” he said. “It’s the same when I start a painting. I paint what my mind and heart sees. I don’t copy, but there is inspiration.” 

That said, Ignacio admits that there is, undeniably, a stark differ­ence between both mediums. “In my films, many of the concepts and top­ics are dark and sad, but it carries a heavy and important message to the viewers,” he explains. “My paintings are the opposite of my films. They are colorful and filled with life with each stroke of the brush, because I want the viewers of the painting to smile. It’s different, but both are creat­ed from the heart, and go through the same creative process.” 

Naming Jackson Pollock and Vin­cent Van Gogh as his favorite art­ists, Ignacio revels in works that are authentic and free, championing art that challenge formal academic rules and favoring abstractions as a re­sult. For Ignacio, inspiration can strike at any moment, a con­cept or aesthetic can emerge to grip his at­tention and engross him for days on end. “When it does, I want to do it right away, even if it’s experimental,” he says. “I need to fall in love with what I’m work­ing on so I can feel joy or fulfillment when the work has been complet­ed. Sometimes I can finish work under an hour, but sometimes it would take a month.” 

Despite confessing to being moody as a painter, much of Igna­cio’s spontaneity is tempered by a discipline born from a steadfast commitment to his craft carving time for reflection amid the respon­sibilities of commercial projects. “I need proper time so I can paint,” he said, “but I always make sure I paint every day, as soon as I wake up or before I sleep at night.” 

This has allowed Ignacio to con­tinuously push his boundaries, un­dergoing many creative cycles since his first solo show in 2006, which marked his transition from a long-term patron of the arts to a more an active participant of its development in the contemporary landscape. The dy­namic changes of his oeuvre through the years were also born from his extensive travels and willingness to immerse himself in exotic cultures. “Slowly, the colors and style would change based on the different cultures and the sceneries I was exposed to in different countries,” he says. 

The most significant driving force for Ignacio’s art, however, is nature. “I’m a nature lov­er,” he says, with much excitement, saying that he of­ten finds himself drawn to paint­ing the undulating mountains, the vast ocean, and the tireless beauty of flow­ers. To this end, Ignacio feels a deep connection to and admiration for Ju­venal Sanso, who he credits for hav­ing had the most significant influence on his aesthetic among all the masters in the Philippines, as natural elements and water bodies find prominence in his work. “I also love to get inspiration from the rich natural resources sur­rounding my house in Pagsanjan,” Ig­nacio adds, emphasizing that his idyl­lic sanctuary in the province has con­tinuously inspired him to capture the beauty of the earth. “Good art work stems from good inspiration,” he says. 

These creative forces were evi­dent in Ignacio’s latest exhibit, “Heav­en and Earth,” at Crucible Gal­lery, which is his seventh solo show to date. In addition to putting the spot­light on his vibrant paintings, the exhi­bition also celebrated Ignacio’s debut as a sculptor. In his earnest desire to represent nature and his deeply per­sonal connection to it, Ignacio drew more than inspiration from his haven in Pagsanjan. He used the surrounding organic materials to breathe life into his idea—embodying nature, through nature. In his mixed media works, Ig­nacio uses low-fired clay from Laguna, river stones near his home along with golden south sea pearls from Pala­wan, and white freshwater pearls, as if in homage to the Philippines’ moniker as the Pearl of the Orient. 

Ignacio fused this subtle nation­alism with his treasured memories as a worldly adventurer by integrat­ing mementos from his travels, such as a metal mask from Venice and a coffee cup from the museum honor­ing polish composer, Frédéric Fran­çois Chopin, an obsession of the artist. Ignacio spends countless hours listen­ing to his compositions and, perhaps fittingly so, as the alluring harmonies from the foremost virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era provided ample background to the artist’s creation of this show, which celebrated his love affair with Mother Nature. With this collection, Ignacio ventures to of­fer a humble reminder: “If we care for Mother Nature, she will give us a beautiful world.”

 

“Heaven and Earth” is on display at The Crucible Gallery until June 2.