MYRNA PASION ARINES
Artist | 64 years old | Biñan City, Laguna, Philippines
Art style: Modern art
Media: Oil and acrylic
Beginnings
“While growing up, I would draw anything.
After my graduation in high school, I wanted to take up Fine Art course in Manila, but because I was born to poor parents, hindi ako nakapag-aral ng Maynila. Instead my parents enrolled me in a two-year secretarial vocational course in a local university, na hindi ko naman gusto. Pero ‘yun lang ang kaya nilang ipa-aral sa akin. I ended up in a four-year Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) course dahil nag-working student ako. Gusto ko sana mag Architecture dahil marami ding drawing yun, pero hindi kaya ng sweldo ko.”
Artist Daughters
“Nakapag-trabaho naman ako dahil BSBA graduate ako. Nagkapamilya ako at nagkaroon ng tatlong anak — a son and two daughters. Ang mga anak kong babae ay mahihilig din sa drawing kaya I enrolled them in arts classed nung maliliit pa sila. Naging mga artists din sila. Actually my eldest daughter graduated in Philippine Science High School (Pisay) Best in Arts, but I let her pursue what she wanted most, and she finished Molecular Biology in UP. Pero andu’n pa rin ang pagiging artist n’ya dahil siya ang naging Illustrator ng UP Scientia. Now, she is a scientist in the US at Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard pero siya pa rin ang pinagagawa ng mga illustrations. My youngest daughter is really an artist, she is a graphic artist graduated in Mapua University.“
Second Chances
“When they were already earning, sabi ng eldest daughter ko: “Ma, di ba sabi mo gusto mong maging artist noon, pwede pa naman kahit matanda na kayo, ee-enroll kita sa arts class kung saan mo kami pinag-aral and this time kami naman ang magpapa-aral at magbabayad ng tuition mo. We know mahal ang tuition ng arts class. They enrolled me in oil painting. At nang maging artist ako, ang school na yun ay tumatanggap na rin ng mga adult students, it started with me.”
Now, kahit matanda na ‘ko nagkaroon pa rin ako ng puwang sa mundo ng sining at may mga napatunayan na rin ako na ako ay isang artist.”
“I started painting when I was 56, hindi hadlang ang pagiging matanda na, basta mahal mo ang iyong ginagawa.”
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