Collection: Marlowe Villagonzalo
At a younger age while he was still in Surigao, Marlowe has always been wanting to become an artist. Deep in his heart he believed the value of his artistry as it manifested even when he was still in five years of age. His early fascination with art has motivated him to draw trucks panels, ships and even bikes. He has recalled that he was one of those many children who loved to draw the images of the famous Filipino actor and actresses, especially, that of Fernando Poe, Jr. In third year high school, he was introduced to the art of paper cuts which added to his creative skills.
To positively nurture his creativity, he has enrolled as one of the many students in an Architectural Drafting class where he gained additional knowledge that positively contributed to his aspiration of becoming a painter. Going into college, Marlowe has traveled to Cebu to enroll a course in Fine Arts at the University of San Carlos, but unfortunately, he was late for the enrollment, thereby forcing himself to take up Architecture in Cebu Institute of Technology. Such accidental enrollment has made him a Licensed Architect in 1999, and a registered Master Plumber at the same time. But before privately practicing his profession, he first worked in an Interior Firm in Cebu where he gained experience and attained financial freedom and allowed him to buy art materials and tinkered with them as his pass time. With opportunities to design and build houses, and created plan for subdivisions, Marlowe has considered himself a technical person in the field of Architecture and construction.
Though, it was not part of his plan to be involved in such professions, he found it very fulfilling and grateful for what he had accomplished in these field. But as he continuously practiced his Architecture, he happened to meet Orley Ypon in his Studio at Toledo City, and looking at Orley's works, Marlowe's aspiration to go back to painting has gradually bursting unto his heart, encouraging himself to be engaged in painting again. Thus, he made it a point to paint his favorite subjects like vendors, still life , landscape, etc. More at ease with oil paints as his primary medium, he is deeply fascinated with applying thicker and bolder colors unto his canvas. Attributing this painting style the way Impressionists did theirs. He loves to paint with much loaded brush, creating an impasto effect that made his works truly sensational, if not, amazing.
For any painter, joining an art exhibit is one fulfilling moment, and for Marlowe, it happened in 2001, when he was invited as one of the exhibitors in the First Cebu Open Air Art Festival at the garden and lagoon of Ayala Center Cebu. He has follow up exhibits at Shade of Summer at SM Art Center Cebu, and Art Explosion at Ayala Center Cebu at same year. His connection with Cebu Art Association has given him opportunities to join the group's exhibits in different venues from 2002, 2003 up to 2010. He also got invited to exhibit his works with Portrait Artists Society group in 2012, and had his first Solo Show at same year at the Cebu Academy of Arts at Aloha Apartelle, in Cebu City.