Jojo Liao, who cofounded drybrush Gallery with his wife Joweeh, supports emerging artists and is an avid art collector himself. The gallery’s web site currently carries 1,500 works of 250+ Filipino artists. While many people have the impression that art galleries are elitist, drybrush has provided a platform that allows everybody to be an art collector in the belief that happiness can be shared through art.
drybrush Gallery started in November 2020, at the height of the pandemic, as a purely online platform with a roster of established and emerging artists.
“Nung ECQ and GCQ, there were no physical exhibits. What happened was that the artists were selling their artworks at very low prices. drybrush’s parent company is Coreproc Inc., a software development company that works with multinationals. We thought that putting up a web site for these artists would be easy since that’s our forte. We didn’t expect that people would like what we did,” he said.
One of the stories that made its mark on the Liao couple was the one about the artist who traded one of his paintings for a kilo of rice.
“At the end of the day, we have to give dignity to our artists. That’s what drives us. That artist, his works are now in the home of a collector in Forbes Park,” said Jojo. The Liaos take pride in www.drybush.com being a fast and easy to navigate web site.
Today, www.drybrush.com exists alongside two physical galleries—one in SM City North Edsa, Quezon City and another in SM MOA Square, Pasay City.
“drybrush Gallery aims to attract new art collectors and at the same time support new and emerging talents, making us a conduit to the wonderful world of discovering art. drybrush Gallery aim to help customers buy new and unique pieces from Filipino artists to support our local art community. drybrush Gallery offers a wide variety of artworks from painting, sculpture art, photography art, and decorative plates to ensure that everyone will find the perfect artwork for their collections,” said the gallery in its web site.
Modern contemporary artist Lydia Velasco and her family were the featured artists in a visual art exhibit, called Salinlahi IV, at drybrush Gallery on the second floor of SM MOA Square at the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.
Aside from Lydia Velasco, the artists whose artworks were showcased in Salinlahi IV are Tessie Pecaña, Fely Reyes, Sarah Doringo, Daisy Carlos, Isidora Duran, Lon de Cruz, Isabella dela Cruz, Chie Cruz, Chigoe Cruz, Arlene Manalus, Lex Picaña, Michelle Molo, Phoebe Carlos, Kim Carlos, and Kris Ian Carlos.
“We are honored and privileged na pumayag si Ma’am Lydia. Ang request talaga namin, kasama ang family. That’s the reason why she agreed,” said Jojo.
As an artist, Lydia Velasco was influenced and encouraged by her parents. Her father was a set designer for a movie studio while her mother was a homemaker who liked painting still works. In college, Velasco studied Fine Arts, Major in Advertising, and worked in various advertising agencies before founding her own company Lightmoves Photo/Design Inc.
She returned to painting when the company was stable and her paintings focused on women, celebrating their identity and freedom through her artworks. Art collectors in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, the US, and the UK purchase and collect her artworks. Her works have also been auctioned by auction houses such as Sotheby’s, Borobudur, Larasati, and Masterpiece.
The woman and mother figure in most of Velasco’s paintings—who has almond eyes and high cheekbones—is inspired by Velasco’s mother, who is her muse.
“Ang inspirasyon nanggagaling sa pagmamahal sa kapwa. Ayoko ng may naaaping tao. Pinaglalaban ko ’yan. Nagpipinta nga ako sa pader, sumasama ako sa rally [My inspiration comes from loving my fellow men. I don’t like it when people aren’t treated equally. I really fight for equality. I paint murals. I attend rallies],” said the 80-year-old Velasco.
The Velasco sisters—Lydia, Tessie Pecaña, Felicidad “Fely” Reyes, Daisy Velasco Carlos, and Sarah Velasco Doringo—share a fascination for flowers and love, which are often the subject of their artworks. Lydia’s own children—Chie Cruz and Chigoe Cruz—are artists and also part of Salinlahi IV.
As artists, Velasco’s sisters have different passions and styles.
Daisy Carlos’s love for fairytales and nature is evident in her works as they often feature images of women surrounded by birds, animals and flowers or being in a fantasy world.
Tessie Pecaña’s works are straightforward and her overall style leans toward classical realism, as she uses bold strokes, brilliant colors, and hazy and gentle edging that give her paintings an Impressionist touch.
Fely Reyes is a late bloomer when it comes to painting. She describes herself as a romantic who loves to paint flowers because of the love they signify.
Sarah Doringo is into acrylic pouring and applies different techniques to it such as combining colors, brush strokes, air blowing, swiping, and balloon marking.
“Tatlong generations ang nandito sa exhibit. Nakakatuwa kasi iba-iba ng styles. Sabi ko talaga mabigyan kami ng isang show para makita ng tao na lahat kayo ay mahusay. Kasi parang na overpower ko sila, ‘di sila makaangat. Sabi ko uumpisahan ko, gagawa ako ng exhibit na kasama kayo para makita ng lahat na magagaling kayo at ‘di lang ako ang kilala ng tao [There are three generations of artists in this exhibit. It’s so nice to see different styles. I’ve always wanted a show with them because my fame tends to overpower theirs. I want them to shine and I want people to see how good they are as artists],” said Lydia.
Aside from the physical art exhibit, the family’s artworks can also be viewed on the gallery’s web site. The artworks can be purchased online at bit.ly/3WQU1iM.
For viewing, payment, and other inquiries, you may contact drybrush via e-mail at curator@drybrush.com or at 0917-5652917.