'Binalot ng Lumipas': the art of Sander Cruz

Sander Cruz, a corporate artist now enjoying retired life in his hometown of Taguig, the Philippines, was cleaning an old termite-infested cabinet, where he happened to stumble upon some old magazines.

"Print material like Liwayway – my mother's beloved collection – and my siblings' Jingle magazines," he said. "I kept all. I will get a few pages here and there for my paintings, though."

It was while he was while looking at these time-tarnished pages that something also caught his eye on Facebook. This photograph, together with the actual print pages, the stories they told, and the memories that then became as vivid as the moments in the past, inspired him to create.

The result? "Binalot ng Lumipas" (12x12 inches, oil+mixed media).

What shocked me, however, was his answer when I asked what photo on Facebook he had seen.

"Your post about receiving the tuyô (dried fish) from your sister as a pasalubong (souvenir or gift) gave me the idea," he said.

My sister had asked me which snacks from the Philippines my wife, daughter and I wanted, because she and her three daughters were all taking their first trip abroad. To visit me in Malaysia because I haven't been allowed to travel since getting diagnosed with cancer on 17 July 2023.

My mother bought the tuyô I requested, which my sister and nieces brought with them as part of all the pasalubong.

Manna from Manila.

But it was only that Sunday morning, nine days after my sister and nieces had departed from Malaysia for their night flight back to Manila, that I requested the tuyô for breakfast. And decided to post the photo on Facebook before we ate.

"Now, some blast-from-the past authentic Jingle magazine's pages wrap my tinapa (fish cooked or preserved through the process of smoking. The same type of herring-like fish can become tuyô or tinapa) painting. Just one of the best staple food that kept me running to our nearby sari-sari (literally means "variety", referring to the neighborhood convenience store that sells different kinds of items) store or talipapa (market) and buying for us during those hard years of just getting by one day at a time," Cruz said.

I asked him if oil was his preferred medium, and if he worked with other media.

"Good question. Oil was my ever feared medium and as much as I could, I avoided it. The last time I used it was during the first semester of our painting class. That was decades ago," he said.

He said oil is a challenging medium because it takes months to completely dry and the medium, like turpentine and thinner, is nauseating.

"Acrylic is still my go-to medium because it dries more quickly, no smell at all, and much cheaper than oil," he said.

Cruz said he did some digital design during his professional days as a corporate artist. This included photography and 3D sculpting for 3D printing for industrial design.

"I am now at the point in my life to look back and, perhaps without pressure, do something with those yesteryear fears and challenges. Now here I am having finished my 'Binalot ng Lumipas' in oil. That for me is a challenge worth taking and I am happy with the outcome."

Cruz shared that he found out that you can now use odorless turpentine and quick-drying linseed oil that, when mixed with oil paint, dries much faster.

"So problem solved. The colours are more vibrant and it mixes so well with other colours. Never did I realise that oil painting is the way to go. I just wish I had done it sooner. Perhaps it not too late for me, though. I can now say that I'll be doing more painting in oil as much as I can. God willing," he said.

How did Cruz discover that he had artistic talent?

"As far as I can remember, drawing and doodling have been my constant companions," he said.

Of course, he played with kids his age after school and during weekends.

"Our playground was the open spaces, trees, rivers, and farm fields. Then, at home, I would recall my adventures or misadventures. Instead of writing notes, I drew it like a comic book illustrator. Komiks (comic books) then were everywhere and my constant source of entertainment and inspiration," he said.

He said his early drawings were not much better than those other kids. But he was eager to go to high school, and then college. And he knew art would give him that opportunity.

"I knew it was my chance to attain a college degree and at the same time enjoy it. Got my Bachelor of Fine Arts major in Advertising in UST, making a living with drawing, photography, and eventually multimedia design. I have been doing it professionally until my retirement."

He said art is still his constant companion. Only that now he wants to do traditional paintings and put away his digital tools. 

"I tend to recall those days of old as my subject. I find it so amusing that even long after I am gone, my works could still be hanging on some wall somewhere," he said.

Asked to name the artists who have inspired him or whose style influenced him, Cruz said: "The great Fernando Amorsolo, Juan Luna, Félix Resurrección Hidalgo, Botong Francisco, and, I have to mention, our finest sculptor Guillermo Tolentino. I am not a modernist and I tend to define my style as a conservative realist like those great names I mentioned. As a visual storyteller, the art and humor of Norman Rockwell and Larry Alcala are up there in my GOAT list."

"Binalot ng Lumipas" is the first in a series, as a tuyô version with kamatis (tomato sauce) has been the most requested version. And, of course, I gave him permission to use the same photo as the model for the upcoming painting.

He said that apart from a series of paintings commissioned by Ayala group for Casa Kalaw in El Nido for their suites, the paintings dearest to him stay in their house.

"I painted a large 4x4 ft acrylic on canvas in honour and devotion to our miraculous Lady St. Anne, patroness of Taguig. The painting depicts the river feast in Her honor. As we were told, in 1587, Taguig, then known as 'pook ng mga taga-giik' (place of the rice threshers), plunged into crisis after farmers lost all their harvests. Amid their despair, Saint Anne and the little girl Mary appeared and then led them to the river, suddenly teeming with 'banak' (mullet fish)," he said.

Cruz said he painted it as he imagined the fluvial during the early — and perhaps the first — one that was held long ago.

"I for myself cannot say that I did justice to this very important topic especially for us Taguigeños. But for me, seeing it every God-given day in our dwelling place is my humblest of ways, my homage to keep us reminded of the miracles of our Lady through my brush and paint. That is all I can do," he said.

Asked if he wanted to share a message to aspiring artists, Cruz replied: "As any artist needs to be reminded of, us old generation of artists included, is just stay true to your chosen path. Yes, challenges do exist like with any other career goals. Appreciate your talent and do whatever you can to stay abreast with the technology around you, so that can further develop your talent. Getting the right tools and skills will help you along the way."

He said that he started out as a commercial artist in a photo lab company, where he learned everything he could. From there he moved on to a top advertising agency. He then worked as an in-house designer for multinational companies, learning to transfer his skills from a drafting table to a computer workstation in today's digital space.

"Never stop learning. Be aware of the things happening around you. Stay ahead and embrace tools accordingly. We are limited only by what we can imagine. So the possibilities are endless. It is up to you," he said.

Cruz added that artists should not be bothered by the proliferation of AI (artificial intelligence) technology that we see nowadays. He said Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo did not even have any of the digital tools we now enjoy. And yet they left behind masterpieces that continue to inspire and define human existence. He said they will endure long after the greatest of scientists, engineers, lawyers, politicians, and businessmen are all gone and forgotten.

"One final thing. I am now a senior person living and had the privilege to live an ordinary life, void of richness in material things and fame. It has never been my goal in life. I am good where I am now and looking back, it was a great ride. And for that, I am truly grateful.

"I leave you with this thought from Neil Gaiman: 'The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live only as you can.'"

He said that as he looks at "Binalot ng Lumipas" hanging on their kitchen wall, it has become a constant reminder.

"For me, my family, and, hopefully, the next generation, not to be forgotten: to be thankful for the things they so conveniently have now. That it came from generations of a family having less. Yet thankful for the full, simple blissful life we have had."

It is an ordinary life. And a happy, ordinary one.

You may email Sander Cruz if you would like to get in touch with him or commission artwork.