House with a Water Pump

Painted from memory, this painting shows the house where I grew up. My parents built the house in a barrio around two miles away from the town proper. 

That house is probably the first concrete house that was ever built in that area. Our closest neighbor lived still a few hundred yards away.

It was almost surrounded by rice fields and fruit-bearing trees. The only other man-made structure in that area was a small pump house, which my parents had also built, to house a diesel-powered water pump. That pump was used to irrigate the rice fields. 

It was very quiet in that area, being away from the town proper and all its busy streets. In the morning, you could wake up at the sound of chirping birds, and at the crowing of roosters. At night, you could hear the chirping of crickets and, specially after a heavy rain, the croaking of frogs. 

The house had not yet been connected to the local power grid when we moved in. We basically could not use any electric-powered appliance during those times. At night, it was very dark, and we only used kerosine lamps for lighting. Outside, we had the stars and the moon giving light from the sky above us. And yes, we also had fireflies that gave light from the trees in front of the house. I still remember the fun and the laughter we had catching fireflies, and playing in front of the house during full moons. 

This painting is an acrylic-on-canvas painting. I finished this painting on the 25th of January 2014, and is my first painting for the year 2014.

Homework

I painted this from my childhood memories.

I was in fifth grade when my family moved to the house, which my parents had built for us. It was in a barrio around two miles away from the town proper. The house was barely finished when we moved in. We did not even have electricity. It took months before we eventually got the connection to the local power grid. During those months, we only had kerosene lamps for lighting.

I still remember myself, studying, reading, and preparing my homework at night with the help of those kerosene lamps.

This is a 16" X 20" acrylic painting on canvas. I finished this painting last Sunday, August 25, 2013.

Frog Hunters

These two men (a father and a son) are hunting for frogs. Armed with lamps and nets, they venture into the night, walking barefooted on the muddy field, looking for some fresh frogs for their family's next-day meals.

According to Wikipedia, "frog legs are one of the better-known delicacies of French and Cantonese cuisine. They are also eaten in other regions, such as Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the region of Alentejo in Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, northwest Greece, and Northern Italy, as well as the Southern regions of the United States. Currently the world's largest exporter of frogs is Indonesia, also a large consumer. In regions such as Brazil, Mexico and the Caribbean many frogs are still caught wild. A type of frog called the edible frog is most often used for this dish. Frog legs are rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A and potassium. They are often said to taste like chicken because of their mild flavor, with a texture most similar to chicken wings. The taste and texture of frog meat is approximately between chicken and fish. Frogs are raised commercially in certain countries, e.g. Vietnam. Frog muscle does not resolve rigor mortis as quickly as warm-blooded muscle (chicken, for example), so heat from cooking can cause fresh frog legs to twitch."

This is an acrylic on canvas painting.  I finished this painting on August 31, 2013.

This is another scene painted from my childhood memories. I was a little kid back then, living with my family in a farm. Our house was nearly surrounded by rice fields with many frogs croaking and hopping around. I remember myself running after those frogs one night.

Summerview 4

My wife and I are participating in the Summerview 4 Exhibition of Artists Alive and Well, inc.

Please come and enjoy artwork presented by local Houston artists this summer with a fantastic view of our city from the 9th Floor Sky Lobby of The Phoenix Tower. This art exhibition and sale has quickly become one of Houston's premier yearly events. The artists of AAW present original artwork in a wide variety of mediums and genres to fit every taste. Fill up your senses at The Phoenix Tower.

Opening Reception: 29 July 2013, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Closing Reception: 16 August 2013, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Location: 9th Floor, Phoenix Tower, 3200 Southwest Freeway, Houston TX 77027

Registration is not required.

http://www.artistsaliveandwell.com

Kite

I finished this painting on July 6, 2013. It was Saturday, the first Saturday after the 4th of July. I really wanted to finish this painting that weekend, because this painting had been sitting unfinished in my studio for quite some time already. I actually started this painting three weeks ago, in one Sunday afternoon. The truth is, I started this painting even before I started the painting "Washing in the River," which I finished last Thursday (4th of July).

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This painting shows a boy flying a red kite, while sitting on a huge rock on top of a hill overlooking the crop fields below.

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This reminds me of my childhood days. When I was in grade school, I enjoyed flying kites with my friends and siblings. Our school had a wide playground where students loved to play and run around after school. We would even go there during weekends. Sometimes we would bring our kites to school and fly them later after attending our classes. We would spend the rest of the afternoon that way.

Prints of this painting is available for sale at http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/cyril-maza.html.

Washing in the River

I finished this painting on the 4th of July 2013. It was a holiday (US Independence Day), so I did not go to work. I spent the whole afternoon, adding finishing touches to this painting, which I started a couple of weeks ago.

This painting shows two beautiful women washing clothes in a river. This scene may be considered typical in remote areas that are far from the cities, where rivers are the only source of water, both for drinking and washing.

This is an acrylic painting on a 24" X 36" canvas.  Prints of this painting are available for sale at 

http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/cyril-maza.html.

Mother's Day Greeting Cards

According to Wikipedia, "Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in March or May...

     Mother's day in the Philippines is celebrated every second Sunday of May. A Filipino mother is called the "light of the household" around which all activities revolve. Families treat mothers to movies or lunch or dinner out, spend time with their mothers in a park or shopping at the mall, or give their mothers time to pamper themselves. Most families celebrate at home. Children perform most chores that the mother routinely handles, prepare food or give their mothers small handcrafted tokens such as cards.

 

     Although in its current form, Mother's Day is not a traditional Filipino holiday; this and Father's Day owe their popularity to American influence."