4/30/13

Happy Birthday, Tatay




In progress...



Today is my father's birthday anniversary. He would have been 94. I miss him and think of him everyday. When I was growing up, I knew, that no matter the challenge or adversity, things will be alright when my father was around. He was a man of great courage, strong faith and gentle character. He did the best thing a father could ever do for his children, he loved our mother very much, very much. It was so obvious. In turn my mother loved him the same. To this day, my remembrance of my father gives me strength.  When I left for the U.S. my father flew to Manila so he can see me go. He was a stoic man, yet I felt so loved. He told me to call my mother often and write letters. He told me to often visit my sister who came to the U.S. a few years ahead of me. When I called, he always answered the telephone. I could hear the joy in his voice as he asked me how I was doing. He asked me if I saw my sister often and I heard the delight in his voice when I told him that we did a lot of things together. Then he gave the telephone to my mother. After talking to my mother, she gave the telephone back to my father so I can say goodbye. Just remembering all of that makes me cry, but I don't feel any sadness. Thank you Tatay, I love you very much. Thank you for loving Nanay very much and being a loving and very good father to my brothers, sisters and me. Thank you for loving my husband and my children. Thank you. Happy Birthday! Tsup!


4/27/13

Fare Thee Well but Farewell Not


All things to nothing descend,
Grow old and die and meet their end...
Nor long shall any name resound
Beyond the grave, unless 't be found
In some clerk's book, it is the pen
Gives immortality to men...*

or elephants!!!
okay, I just added this one.

*Master Wace (1100 - 1175) - from his Chrinicles of the Norman Dukes. Found on the chart of Harold F Unstott (1907 - 1922)





















Elephant Herd. Pigment and India ink on 19"x24" Bristol Board. 


All the elephants in the world cannot satisfy man's senseless and selfish desire for ivory.
Please do not buy anything, worship any idol or use any gadget made of ivory.
Stop the elephants from vanishing.


Click on the charts to enlarge:









A very special remembrance tribute to my beloved sister Leah, who passed this earthly life a little over a year ago. She loved elephants so much. Not a day passes by without me thinking of her and feeling her love. I love you, forever. Tsup!





Fare thee well!




4/25/13

Behance's Drawing Served Gallery Feature







My "Dream Sequence" drawing collection is featured on Drawing Served - Curated works from leading creatives on Behance. 








4/24/13

Crash





Do you know what a group of rhinoceros is called? A crash! There are only five remaining rhino species: White, Black, Indian, Sumatran and Javan. The Javan rhino is the most endangered rhino species in the world. Poachers kill and maim rhinos for their horns which the Chinese and Vietnamese use in traditional medicine. Rhino horn has no medicinal value. It is made of the same material as human toenails or fingernails - keratin. The Javan rhino officially became extinct in Vietnam in 2011. There are few remaining in Indonesia.






On my drawing board: Drawing a new elephant herd on 19"x24" Bristol board...


Most Endangered Animal Species In The World



A North American bird so endangered it may actually be extinct
The world’s rarest cat: Only 40 left in Russia’s Far East
No more than 60 of these swamp-dwelling Asian rhinos exist
Here’s the scarcest of Madagascar’s fast-dwindling lemur species
Hunted to near extinction, 350 right whales still swim the Atlantic
Disease and illegal hunting are taking an alarming toll on this gentle giant of a primate
The population of the world’s largest turtle is dropping at an alarming rate
The world’s biggest cat weighs as much as 300 kilos (660 pounds)
Humans are eating the world’s largest amphibian into extinction. Read: Eating Habits Of South China Driving Endangered Animals To Extinction
Samoa’s little dodo bird is in immanent danger of following the large dodo into extinction.




Read:




4/21/13

There is Only One Place We Can Call Home








What a busy weekend to cap a busy week. It was also a very sad week for America. Our prayers are with everyone affected by the terrorist act in Boston, especially the victims and their families. Yesterday my daughter won the regional University Interscholastic League in journalism, feature writing competition. She will represent her school, district and region at the state competition in May. So, what have we been up to aside from work and school? Errands, lots of errands, cleaning, cooking, gardening, barbecuing, weeding, digging, planting...just being together as a family. Got my daily dose of Vitamin D today and a lot of exercise. Gardening and yard work is hard labor, but look, it's early spring and we have tomatoes, oranges, peas and flowers peeking and sprouting. We are preparing to start another busy week. 

Tomorrow is EARTH DAY! Be kind to earth, it is our only home. Be kind to the animals who suffer in the hands of evil poachers and selfish individuals. Please help by giving to the many organizations that provide safe haven for these animals and help third world governments combat poaching. 

Plant a tree!!!  Plant a garden, in the yard or in in pots on the windowsill.

Protect and preserve life, especially those who cannot defend themselves.

If you want to become informed about our earth, without the politics and cover-ups, visit the Blacksmith Institute. Make it a habit to read their website. You may not think that you can do much to solve the massive problems on earth but getting informed does make a difference.

To my children: Long time ago, I resolved to be like my mother in the way she viewed the earth. Now it's my turn to do it for you so that when your time comes, you will do it for your children. Everyday, many ordinary people do ordinary things that do not get published, posted or told yet, these little acts are extraordinary in the way they affect our future, our environment and our way of life. It always starts with one individual, in the home.  We do things even if it take extra effort, because it is the right way. Thank you.

Have a good and peaceful week everyone. We are grateful for our blessings. God bless us all, God bless America, God bless our earth.












4/19/13

I Love Elephants



I love elephants because they remind humans the true meanings of "wild" and "savage" and who is truly wild and who is truly savage.




P.S. I wrote a very long poem called "Wild And Savage" last week to accompany this illustration which I originally wanted to post last Sunday for IF's "Wild" theme. After the incident this week, I decided not to post it. Even though the poem contained things that I knew happened in the past, some lines appear to portend what happened in Boston and it frightened me. Perhaps it may be that history really repeats itself.





Elephants. Pigment and India ink on 11" x 14" Bristol Board.





Looks pretty cool when framed, ey? I put up prints for sale through Society6Prints are available unframed or framed. Please do not buy any of my work just to please me because I do these drawings for personal pleasure. I normally give the originals to people I love. The print profits are very minimal PLUS I pledged to donate profits I get from my wildlife prints to the many animal conservation organizations I follow and support. So thank you for helping me save from extinction, the animals I love.





4/17/13

Wild Animals Will Not Survive Human Savagery And Ignorance










RHINO POACHING













ELEPHANT POACHING FOR IVORY







Read: 










PANGOLIN POACHING

And now China is sending its poachers and smugglers where they are killing the pangolins or anteaters for their scales and meat. They remove the scales from live animals. Read here.







4/11/13

25,000 Elephants Were Killed in 2011 For Their Ivory


Most of the illegal ivory trade in large scale shipments in the past three years originated in Kenya and Tanzania. The shipments were primarily bound for markets in China. In Tanzania alone 21.8 tons of ivory were seized. (China is also the primary destination of illegally poached rhinoceros horns.)





"Elephants are killed for their ivory, which is used for crafts, such as carvings, ornaments, combs, jewelry, and chopsticks. Diminshing elephant populations, public outrage and fear for the survival of elephants led to an international ivory trade ban in 1989. However, due to the combination of various loopholes and black market trading, the ivory trade is still thriving and threatening our elephant population.  In 2011, CITES reported at least 25,000 African elephants were killed. In 2012, poaching and illegal ivory seizures reached record highs since the international ban in 1989." http://www.wildaid.org/elephants