Igorot artist ‘draws’ with sunlight

BAGUIO CITY -- Most artists use canvas, paint, pencil, oil, charcoal to create art.

But Igorot artist Jordan Mang-osan uses sunlight to produce his art work, using a magnifying glass to catch the sun and direct the heat to burn images on a wooden canvas. The effect is what some call a “drawing,” and others see as a “painting” on wood.

A native of Bontoc, Mountain Province who now resides in La Trinidad, Benguet, this artist draws inspiration from the rich cultural traditions of the region, using landscape, people, scenery and events as the soul of his work.

“I was still in the elementary when I learned how to draw and I got an award for that. From then on, I got hooked and learned how to do different art works,” he said.

Unable to finish his studies, he started to go with different artists. In the eighties, he met Santi Bose who taught him solar painting.

Aiming to preserve the vanishing culture and traditions of the highlands, he created works depicting the Cordillera landscapes out of raw and indigenous materials. He also experimented with acrylic as medium on canvas, pen and ink rendition on hard board and wood, and flat stones, mixed media and solar drawing on various surfaces such as handmade paper, hardboard panel and wood.

Time will come there will be more solar painters in the country because I teach the medium in different workshops in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, he said.

Mang-osan’s creations are on display at Tam-awan Village (artists village) where some 70 of his masterpieces done in sculpture, solar drawing, pyrography, woodcut, rubber cut and sketches, show the range and depth of his art.

The advantage of solar painting is that sunlight has no cost. “You only need a magnifying glass and a piece of plywood to draw the figure, burn that using the sunlight, and then a coating of varnish for a glossy appearance, he said.

Mang-osan is one of the Cordillera artists who formed the Chanum Foundation and built the Tam-awan Village in 1996 to become a haven for budding artists. He is now the president of the foundation and heads the Tam-Awan Village Artists.