Skip to main content

Igorot artist uses solar power to draw


Almost exactly three years ago, my wife and I first laid eyes on Jordan Mang-osan's unique pieces of art. We were in Baguio at that time and we decided to drop by at Tam-awan Village to see his exhibit. We were captivated by the Filipino artist's pyrography and solar drawings, and marveled at his skill with the hand lens. 

While most artists use canvas, paint, pencil, oil, charcoal or ink to create art, Jordan harnesses the power of the sun to produce portraits that depict the rich cultural traditions and landscape of the Cordilleras, where he is from. To create a piece, he starts off by sketching a design on the surface of a wooden board. He then uses a simple magnifying glass to concentrate solar heat on selected areas of the wood. Check out the video below to see exactly how it's done:


Jordan started drawing as a hobby in grade school. Before he turned 19, the Igorot artist earned a living as a construction worker. He was lost and confused as to what he really wanted to be, until someone saw his potential.

If you happen to be in Baguio and you find yourself in need of an art fix, head straight for Tam-awan Village, where Jordan's creations are on display. Just recently, the artist taught young South Korean students to draw using the power of the sun during his workshop on solar drawing at the village.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Adorable Sculptures of Yen Yen Lo

These images are from a series of wall sculptures created by Yen Yen Lo . Here you can see her intricately textured ceramic pieces, looking downright adorable. Yen Yen Lo's eye for the unique and whimsical is delightful. Apparently they are not intended for kids under 16. Fifteen-year-olds cannot be trusted with fragile stuff. Get them a Funko Pop instead.

This art installation aims to raise awareness on domestic violence

What you see here is an art installation featuring 440 pairs of high heels. The shoes were recently hanged by Turkish artist and graphic designer Vahit Tuna on a facade of a building in downtown Istanbul to highlight domestic abuse. Each pair represents one of the 440 women killed in Turkey last year by their partner or husband. How sad that is.

Eric van Straaten's 3D-Printed Statuettes

I can't remember when I first became entranced with Eric van Straaten 's 3D-printed sculptures. I think I stumbled onto his work through tumblr when I was searching for new artists to follow. Eric's attention to detail is pretty amazing, and the image of the eroticized child-woman is familiar throughout his work. Most of his hyper surreal pieces are 3D-printed in sandstone material, which are created by laying down a thin layer of gypsum powder and using a binding agent and color inks to print a pattern onto it. Once the entire model is printed, it is withdrawn from the print bed and the excess powder is removed. The model is then sealed and ready for display. "I think that the girls I create in my work are visualizations of my own feelings, fantasies and thoughts," the Dutch artist explains. "The girls actually look like someone I (used to) know and the different ‘portraits’ tell something about what I think of myself in regards to her or women ...